Xenosaga Episode 1: Mother
by Team KOS-MOS
Summary: [Sequel to Bound. XS 2 and 3 AU] Their love was born on the battlefield, but can their romance survive it? [KOSMOS X Shion, Shoujoai plz rr, no flames plz]
1. The Cogs Turn Once More

Disclaimer: None of us on Team KOS-MOS own Xenosaga (owned by Monolithsoft) or Xenogears (owned by Square Enix), we're just writing this fic for fun, so all you guys with the suits, don't sue.

XenoMark's Note: Welcome to "Mother," the sequel to "Bound." Before the story can begin, it is best that I explain to you readers that this is an Alternate Universe of Xenosaga Episode 2 and will try to connect Xenosaga with Xenogears with a few changes to Xenosaga's and Xenogears's stories. Though it is not necessary for you readers to have played Xenogears beforehand, it will help you understand some of the events that occur within the story (unfortunately this also results in giving away spoilers of Xenogears's story). Unlike this fic's prequels, this story will be told in multiple POV, most of these other POV written by other fan fic authors whom I asked for help for this story. The story's pacing will be a bit slower too than the previous volumes, but each character will be fleshed out a lot more than the previous installments. I'd also like to thank ChaosDreamer, ExDream (not affiliated with this site), Ruby (not affiliated with this site), EvilLilMonk (also not affiliated with this site), and my "sis," Shi Maxwell for helping me out with this fic. With that said, I present to you the third story in Elly and Shion's romance, "Mother."

ExDream's Note: Hope you like it and that I captured the character (Ziggy). The most important thing to do is remember that this isn't the Ziggy from the end of episode one, but the Ziggy at the end of "Bound."

* * *

Chapter 1: The Cogs Turn Once More

(chaos's POV)

"They're moving again, aren't they?" he asks me.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," I nod in response.

Today is the third night we've all been staying at the Uzuki Residence, it's been a nice change of pace looking back on the events that happened within the last month. Staying in a remote place such as this, it helps me put my mind at rest a little. Come to think of it, there was never really a time I could really have myself totally relax, there's always been something, someone, in the back of my mind. Whenever I think I have achieved peace in my mind, my thoughts always dwindle back toward that person and our purpose...

The candlelight begins to flicker with the evening breeze, the wind sending a small chill down my spine. Is it really the wind that's making me feel uncomfortable, or is it because his presence and our goal is drawing closer? The cold steel on Death's scythe, I can already see it hovering over the heads of the people of this world.

"You know as much as I do that I don't want Shion to be involved in any of this," Jin tells me, "she's already gone through so much when our mother and father died, even more so when her last love was killed, I can't bear to see her when..."

"I'm afraid it can't be avoided, Jin," I regretfully tell him, "your sister is very loyal to her, always wanting to be by her side, as is she to your sister. Even as we speak, she is with Shion."

* * *

(Elly's POV)

Shades of green and brown fill the scenery before me, strands of these colors breaking into streaks and columns. Through the spacing of some of these streaks, I find similar features. The weapon in my hands barely pulls my arms to the ground, but it is the lack of breath that weighs the rest of my body to the floor. My white military uniform is stained with so much grime and moss, even the black gloves and lines along the center of the clothing are painted with the colors of shrubbery. Perspiration runs down my entire brow, the cool liquid does nothing to calm the pacing of my heart. So tired, I can't remember the last time I've been this cautious and alert.

Another image comes into my vision, this one appears through the spaces between the branches I look through; I see a young man with a long braid that goes down to his lower back. He wears a pair of dark green baggy pants, a plate-like device near his stomach, and a white-colored shirt with blue lining. His face is somewhat sharp, his dark-brown eyes somewhat narrow and his nose a little pointed. A long strand of hair crawls down his face, it looks like two pieces of hair that he missed when he put his hair in a braid. He begins to move forward but he fails to notice me. His back is now turned and I now spring from my hiding place with my gun pointed.

"Annahas!" I order the man, my weapon still pointed. "Anna herok, ak vite! Rannha ak vite! Rannha kal tik!"

The man looks at me with a puzzled look on his face, as if he doesn't understand what I'm saying. Then it hits me, he really doesn't understand what I'm saying.

"Throw down your weapon!" I order in his native language. "Make one wrong move and I'll shoot! Errh...," I try to recall the correct word in his language, "Turn around!"

The young man still looks at me with a puzzled look on his face, but this time I know he understands what I'm saying. I bet he's not intimidated by me because I'm a woman. Just the thought of him thinking like that makes my blood boil.

"I said...turn around!" I repeat myself, my finger beginning to squeeze the trigger.

Without wasting another second, the man raises his arms, his back slowly turning toward me. I begin to approach him now, his body still within the sights of my pistol. I begin to inspect him closer, namely the uniform he is wearing. He doesn't seem like too much of a threat, but still, I have to be cautious.

"...Are you shaking?" the man suddenly asks.

"Be quiet!" I retort. "...you don't seem to be one of the Kislev Soldiers who are after me...," I say upon closer inspection, "but... Don't move!" the man suddenly turns around, forcing me to bring my finger back to my gun's trigger. "I have orders to kill all surface dwellers, -Lambs-, I come in contact with... It's part of my mission. It's nothing personal. I have a question for you," I begin to lower my gun. "...How do I get out of this forest?"

"Are you lost?" the man asks.

"Just answer my question!" I repeat myself once more. "How do I get out of here?"

"Sorry... but I'm looking for the way out too," he apologizes.

"Oh...," I lower my weapon.

My eyes begin to linger to the ground now, it seems like it might take me even longer to get out of this place. It's already been about a day since I came here and I already miss seeing the light of day without having the sight of tree branches or leaves getting in the way. I could also use a warm meal and bath, I'm sick of rations and the smell of moss on my clothing. I really need to...

"How long are you just going to stand there like that?" the young man interrupts my thoughts. "If you're going to shoot me, then hurry up and do it."

"What an odd thing to say!" his words catch my interest. "Don't you understand the situation you're in?"

"I don't care about my situation...," he begins to sulk. "I'm just a guy whose life is worthless... There's no point in me living anyway!"

For a moment he stares at the ground, but then he begins to approach me. My body begins to push back on its own accord at this moment, my weapon returning its aim toward him.

"Sta, stay back!" I order.

Blam! My finger pulls the trigger, but my aim is off, the bullet striking at a nearby tree instead. A warning shot, that's all I'll give him for now. I'm sure he'll understand his situation after I give him one. I wait a few more seconds, waiting him to back away or place his hands behind his head, but to my surprise, he still stands in the same spot with his arms still dangling at his side and eyes glued to the ground.

"What are you aiming at?" he asks, his voice as cool and resolute as ever. "Here! Shoot me here!" he brings his hand to chest. "C'mon..."

"Are...are you mocking me?" I begin to lower my gun. "You're weird!" I begin to back away. "Something's very wrong with you! You should at least resist a little bit!"

What have I gotten myself into? Someone with a death wish, this was really unexpected. Well if he really is suicidal, there's no point in wasting any bullets on him, he'll kill himself eventu...

The ground suddenly shakes for a second, as if something fell behind me. I ready my gun once more and quickly turn around to find a pair of individuals with scaly blue skin. The stench of blood is very apparent in their body odor, their teeth a dull brass yellow and brown. Their eyes are narrow, their breath heavy as mist, whatever their intent is, I know it's not good.

"What's this?" I try to speak with them. "Who are you?"

Before I can get a response, I suddenly find a force being exerted on my body and myself falling to the floor. My gun slips from my hand now and the world around me begins to fade. I see the suicidal young man in my vision now, a new expression now worn on his face. Anger, that's what I see in his eyes and his fists as he suddenly dashes forward.

"Stop!" he orders my attackers. "Keep your hands off of Elly!"

"Elly," I hear another voice calling my name now. "Elly..."

"Hm...?" I begin to stir.

The color of black begins to disappear from my eyes, the smell of nature and fatigue disappearing. I find a warm surface resting on my cheek now, the surface slowly beating against my face. I bring my arm around the side of my haven's body, burying my face further in. I find my body beginning to rise however, rising with the surface I rest against. So soft, so warm, I just feel so comfortable lying here. I like the tiny breezes that go down my brow and hair, I enjoy the sound that echoes beneath the surface, and the aroma of this place, I can never tire of it, nor can I tire of its sweet, succulent taste.

"Shion...," I barely call her as I bury my head further into her heart.

Is it wrong for me to love my mother in this way? Can it be considered a sin? No, I do not think so, she never gave birth to me, she created me originally from metal and electronics, I was born into this world in an unnatural manner. The way I love my creator, my mother, is it wrong to love her in more ways than one? I do not think so, even my sister who had fallen for our father did not think so when she fell for him.

"Elly, it's time to get up," my lover breathes into my ear.

I begin to open my eyes now, peeling away at the darkness to find myself in a familiar place. Shion's room, it's the same as how I left it before I fell asleep. I find myself still drifting back into slumber however, but the brush of my lover's finger gliding down my cheek begins to drag me away from slumber once more.

"Good morning," she greets me now.

"Good morning, Shion," I return the greeting after a yawn.

"Did you sleep well?" she asks.

"Mm-hm," I answer.

Did I sleep well? I wouldn't say so. I had such a strange dream, I can't really remember it too well. From what I can remember, I was in some kind of forest, hiding for some reason, and there was this man, who was he? That language I was speaking too before I spoke English, I can't even translate it now that I'm awake. Oh well, it was just a dream, there's no need to think about it too much.

Reality returns to me a second later, the taste of my lover's lips suddenly seeps before my mouth. They press against each other for a mere second, but it is enough to remove me from the remnants of my slumber. Her fingers begin to run through my hair now, freeing the strands from any knots. I can't help but smile as she brushes my hair, just the feel of her hands and the sight of her emerald pupils is enough for my lips to curl.

"Shion," Jin calls from downstairs, "you have a phone call!"

"This early, I wonder who it could be?" Shion speaks to herself, putting a stop to her brushing. "Elly, why don't you go take a shower while I see who's calling me."

"All right," I nod.

Without wasting another second, my lover walks out the door, leaving me to choose my wardrobe for today. I decide not to borrow any more of Shion's clothing for the moment, instead getting my usual attire from out of the closet. Luckily Shion has it washed every time I wear it, so there's no need to be worried about it being dirty or anything.

I begin to walk down the hall to the bathroom now, my clothes and towel in hand. My thoughts begin to drift toward the events that occurred in my dream again. The smell of moss, the sight of shrubbery, and the constant beats of my heart, the experience comes back to me. I haven't had too many dreams until recently, maybe I'm just reading into this one too much because it's the most unique one I had so far. But that man who was in it peaks my interest; he seemed so desperate, but why? Oh well, it was just a dream, there's nothing to really dwell about.

* * *

(Shion's POV)

The living room has always been busy since I got back, the house is so full of life for once. I mean I didn't really mind talking to Jin too much every morning whenever I was home, it's just that it's nice to have a lot of company in our home. Although I have to admit, I do feel bad that everyone except Elly has to sleep downstairs, I guess I'm a little greedy sharing my room and bed with only her. The least I could do is have MOMO sleep with us next time, although I'm not sure if Elly would be comfortable with that. Maybe I can talk it over with Elly later and we'll see what happens.

The crystal on my necklace begins to bounce against the base of my neck, catching my attention. My feet come to a stop at the moment to stop this. My fingers run underneath the chain until the crystal finds itself in my palm. The jewel shimmers as bright as ever, it still illuminates as much as it did when I first saw it.

It was four years ago when I first saw this piece, but back then it wasn't mine to begin with. I had just joined Vector shortly after graduating high school, amazingly I was accepted into the First R&D Division with a simple High School Diploma. It was during my first day of work when I first laid eyes on it, along with its previous wearer.

'I can't believe I overslept the night before my first day at work!' I remember thinking to myself as I hurried to my new workplace.

It was March 14, 4763, 8:30 in the morning, my first day at Vector and I was already late to work. The night before I was trying to get accustomed to my new quarters; namely the bed, the mattress was entirely new and wasn't very comfortable. On top of that, when I did wake up at exactly 8:00, the train was ten minutes late. My bad luck didn't end there unfortunately, the layout of Vector HQ was still alien to me at the time, I was practically running around the whole laboratory corridor looking for the right workplace. I must've not been watching out where I was going because the next thing I knew, I found myself accidentally running into somebody and falling to the floor.

"Ouch...," was my first reaction the moment I suddenly found myself sitting on the floor.

"Are you all right, Miss?"

It was the first time I saw the necklace, but at the time, it was worn around its owner's wrist. I had only glanced at the crystal for a mere second, my eyes then wandering toward the actual owner. He was of medium height but had broad shoulders, the Vector uniform couldn't hide his chiseled body at all. Eyes of ocean blue greeted me when I turned to his face, and hair of a navy shade sat atop his head in a bulb like fashion, though there was a strand that ran down part of his face. I remember the device within my chest was striking against my rib cage as fast as a hummingbird's wings, the air to my lungs suddenly growing short, and my throat suddenly parched. I'm not sure how long I was just sitting there, but I knew I had to respond eventually otherwise he would just leave.

"Um..., I'm all right, thanks," I finally responded, taking his offered hand into mine.

His hold on my hand was firm, I could feel his veins practically beating against the palm of my hand. The skin of his palm was surprisingly soft, as if it were made to caress my own. The pull of his arm to bring me back to my feet was surprisingly fast, I felt as if I was suddenly sailing into the clouds.

"I'm very sorry for bumping into you," I apologized after while giving a bow. "It's my first day of work and I've already found myself lost."

"Ha ha, don't worry about it," he assured me with a slight chuckle, "I was exactly the same way when I first started working here. I'm Kevin Winnicott," he introduced himself to me for the first time, "and you are?"

"My name is Shion Uzuki," I introduced myself, taking his hand into mine again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr... Winnicott?! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I found myself apologizing again after his name finally sank in. "Please forgive me sir, I didn't mean to be late for my first day, much less bump into you suddenly! I'm sorry, I'm really very sorry, please forgive me!"

"Hey, it's okay," he assured me again, "there's no need to be so formal or apologetic. Everyone's like that their first day, Ms. Uzuki."

"Chief Winnicott, the CEO's on the line," another employee called from the workplace.

"Well I need to take this," Kevin told me, "it's nice meeting you, Ms. Uzuki, I look forward to working with you."

"Yeah...," I waved as he ran toward the phone.

Kevin Winnicott, that was a name I would always hold dear in my heart, even to this day, I...

"Ah, Shion, there you are," Jin's voice returns me to the present.

The past, for some reason I still frequently think about it, even after all this time.

"You said there's a phone call for me?" I ask, trying to free my mind from my history.

"Yeah, Allen's on the line right now," Jin answers, "it's some guy with a mustache and glasses."

'Guy with a mustache and glasses? This can't be good,' I think to myself.

The director, that's the only person I can think of that fits that description. The last time we spoke I was angry with him, angry at his orders. Turn KOS-MOS, no, Elly, to the Second Division, there's no way I could do such a thing, back then and now. Or is this about me turning in information on Elly to the Federation Government when they falsely accused the Durandal for destroying the Woglinde? Come to think of it, I've also been home for four days and I haven't reported to HQ yet. Whatever the case may be, I know that whatever the director has to say isn't going to be good.

"Good day Director," I pick up the kitchen phone, bringing it to my ear. "Allen, you can hang up the phone from the living room," I call from the kitchen.

"Hello Shion, it's been a while," the Director greets me on the other line.

"Yes sir," I nod, "I'm very sorry for not contacting you sooner, there have been several hardships that had to be dealt with during the immediate time."

"It's all right, Shion, I'm just glad to hear that you and Allen are safe," he answers in his usual patient tone. "I hate to be blunt, but is KOS-MOS still with you?"

"Yes sir," I answer with a nod, "she's in our custody at the moment, she's currently, uh, taking a shower."

"That's good to hear, the people upstairs have been worried since communication with her has been cut off for the last four days," the director explains, "if it's all right, may I ask why that is so?"

"Well sir...," the events that occurred recently begin to flash through my mind.

Where should I begin? I'm sure he already knows that the Woglinde was attacked by the Gnosis, so I guess I don't need to start there. Maybe I can start with that whole incident with Commander Cherenkov? No, that might take too much time to explain from there, and I can't exactly put that into a small and concise report at the moment. The events that occurred recently between Elly and Miang? Maybe there, but would he even believe it? I suppose I should just start with whatever comes out of my mouth.

"Actually there's something I'd like to discuss with you, it's very urgent," the Director interrupts before I can begin my report.

"Urgent, sir?" his words peak my interest.

"Yes, it concerns KOS-MOS, but not only her, it's also about... huh, what the?"

Before another word could be spoken on either line, the phone's screen suddenly begins to break, the colors disorienting and the environment hazing. The image of the director begins to blur then just as another figure begins to appear on the screen. The image of the other figure is to distorted for me to make out, all I can really see are the actions of this individual. This person knocks the Director out of his chair, sending him to the ground. They begin their attack now, bringing their fist downward toward where I think the Director's skull is. I see what I believe are the Director's arms rising after the first impact, but another distorted individual makes their way into the screen now, pinning down the Director's limbs. The entire screen breaks apart now, breaking into tiny lines of black and gray that constantly move up and down the screen. The sound of static takes the place over the director's voice and screams now, the constant buzzing continuously ringing in my ears.

"Director, what happened?!" I ask frantically from my line. "Director?"

"Do...n't....trap...KO...Zohar...," are the only words that come from the other line.

"What, can you repeat that, sir? You're breaking up. Is everything all right?!"

"You've said too much!" one more voice says before the transmission ends.

The sound of static is all I get as an answer. The gray lines on the screen disappear now, the entire screen turning black. I stare at the phone's screen for a moment, waiting for the director to respond, but I get nothing. A flash of red appears in the empty screen for a second after, the same phrase being written over and over again across the black background. Within the blink of an eye, the words are gone, now replaced with a new logo saying "Connection Lost." I return the listening device to its charger and my thoughts begin to play the events that had just occurred. The people who attacked the Director, who were they exactly, and why did they...? Said too much, what was it that the Director was trying to say that may have upset them? Despite the event that had occurred, it's not the conversation that has me worried the most, it's the phrase that was posted all over the screen. "Ye shall be as Gods," is what was written over and over again, I can't help but wonder why Elly's password was written all over the screen.

"Shion, is something wrong?" the blue-haired angel's voice interrupts my thoughts.

I turn around to find her dressed in her usual attire but with a towel in hand and hair. The look of curiosity on her face, something she never showed me until now. My little girl, she's matured so quickly and if I heard the director correctly, I may already have to let her go in this short period of time, that is, if everything's still okay at Vector.

"No, it's nothing," I answer.

"Shion, I know that look," she tells me, "it's not nothing. Something's obviously on your mind, Shion, what is it?"

"...it's about Vector," I try to tell her, "the Director, he..."

"He's ordering me to return, isn't he?" she asks.

"...well, something like that, but..."

"Shion, we both knew this day would come eventually, but regardless, I still..."

"That's not it, Elly!" I quickly interrupt. "It's the Director, someone attacked him in the middle of our conversation!"

"What?!" a look of shock falls upon her face now. "But why?"

"I don't know," I answer, "the Director was about to talk about something involving you but then..."

"Did you check with security after your call?" our conversation is suddenly interrupted.

"What, Ziggy?"

"Did you check with the security office over there to see if the building is still okay?" the cyborg repeats himself.

"Well, not yet, but..."

"You might want to try giving them a call," he explains, "perhaps there's still time to catch the culprits involved if the rest of the building is in working order."

"Yeah, I guess I'll try," I bring the phone back to my ear.

"I'll inform the others about what happened," Elly tells me, "if there's no response with the security office we may have to call the police. If that's not enough, we may have to go Vector ourselves and catch the culprit."

"Vector Second R&D Division Security Office, how may we help you?" the person on the other line answers in the next second.

"Yes, my name is Shion Uzuki of Vector's First R&D Division," I introduce myself, "I'd like to know if everything is all right with the Director, my last phone call with him ended so suddenly and..."

"Everything looks all right according to our surveillance cameras," the guard on the other line says, "hold on, I'll check with the guard stationed there. One moment," he tells me as he picks up another phone on his desk. "Hawwa, is everything all right in your station? All right, I see. Everything seems to be okay on this end," the guard addresses me once more, "I'm sure his phone was just having some difficulties."

"That can't be, I saw at least two people attack the Director during our conversation!" I explain. "It can't just be phone difficulties, I know I saw..."

"Ma'am, perhaps you're just being paranoid," the guard tells me, "if anything had happened to the Director, the cameras would have caught it, and if those were somehow altered, our guards would have spotted the intruder before he set foot in his office."

"But..!"

"Ma'am, we assure you nothing is wrong with the Director, please try your call again later. Good day now."

The phone suddenly dies at this moment, before I could get in another word. I know what I just saw happened to the Director, I know I wasn't just seeing things. The guard said it could be phone difficulties, but I don't think that's the case here. I'm thinking that someone deliberately altered the surveillance cameras and possibly bribed the guard stationed there out of their post so that they could attack the director.

"Shion, are you all right? Were you able to get a hold of the security office?" the blue-haired angel's voice snaps me back to my senses.

"We have to go now," I inform her, "something's definitely wrong over there."

* * *

(Ziggy's POV)

Time, it is always against a soldier. I see not only Ms. Uzuki panicking before my eyes but also another crisis to delay my mission. I should take this opportunity to prepare MOMO and leave. I cannot allow myself to get distracted again.

I quietly leave the room as Jin and KOS-MOS continue to attempt to calm Ms. Uzuki down. They do not notice me as I leave, this is how it should be. I am a cyborg, a machine, not a man. Seeing KOS-MOS comforting Ms. Uzuki is rather odd. A few weeks ago she was just like me, able to come and go from situations as needed and not really expected to participate emotionally.

No, that is not completely accurate, I was a crossroad, MOMO still relied on me. I intend to leave her soon. She will be safer with UMN, one of my few remaining human traits, intuition, tells me so.

My suicide and rebirth made me forget many things, but not the thing that mattered most. A long time ago I failed and lost something very important. My only remaining goals are to lose this pain and to never feel it again.

I leave the house and begin to make preparations to leave.

"So, the time has finally come?" a loud rather harsh yet young voice interrupts my thoughts.

"It seems I am not as invisible as I thought, Jr."

"I know you want to take MOMO back to the UMN, don't you?"

"She will be safer there."

"Isn't that where she was captured by U-TIC in the first place?"

"You have also proven yourself unable to protect her." At this the boy cringes and glares at me. "At just the mere mention of that incident you begin to lose focus and let your emotions rule. Can you really protect anyone like that?" I ask. He glares at me harder. "Will you be there when she needs you most?" I continue.

"I already was, where were you?" I realize he is referring to the time after Proto Merkabah.

"I never claimed I was any better suited for this."

"So you're just going to dump her off and call it a day?!"

His naivety shows behind the rage in his eyes. Then we both realize MOMO had come out and was watching.

"It's alright Jr.," she begins, " I want to go, maybe I can see Mommy again."

"But..."

She silences Jr. with a finger and says, "Don't worry, let's take one last look at the forest before we leave."

She grabs his hand and pulls him away; he gives me one last glance before leaving. It is full of frustration, almost malice.

My guilt, confusion, and his eyes are just three more things I can forget when I become a machine.

* * *

(Elly's POV)

"Oh really, that's nice!" Shion exclaims as she speaks with several of the children. "Oh c'mon Jin, hurry up...," my lover grumbles underneath her breath for the fifth time.

She's been so uneasy since that phone conversation she just had. No, it's not the little children that are making her feel this way, it's the events that occurred when she was talking on the phone with the Director. Did someone really attack him like Shion claims, and if that is so, why? Asking my lover the details would only upset her more I think, so I decide it's best not to ask.

Shortly after her conversation with the Director, we all immediately left for Second Miltia City. Shion, Allen, and I were supposed to go directly to Vector's Second R & D Division the moment we arrived, but Jin insisted to go with us. He wanted to stop by the orphanage he volunteered at before we went there to pick up his work schedule, and well, here we are...

"Read me another story," I look to the other side of the room to find more children sitting around MOMO, who holds a fairy tale book in her hands.

"All right, which story do you want me to read next?" the young realian responds with a smile.

Everyone seems to be busy right now with their own set of kids, well almost everybody, Ziggy just seems to be standing in a corner. MOMO is reading stories to a small group, Jr. and chaos are playing ball with some others, Shion and Allen are talking with a group of their own, but Jin seems to be doing something else with another adult.

"So you're sure you won't need me for this week, Miss Yui?" he asks the caretaker of the orphanage.

"Yes, but we would still appreciate it if you still dropped by to visit," the woman answers.

I can tell by the way he converses with this woman that he's not really interested in his work schedule, and since when did one need a schedule for volunteer work? I can't quite put my finger on it, but he seems to be paying a lot of attention to her. I feel bored once more, I'm not sure how to interact with children. Well there's no real need to, it seems like the others are already preoccupied with all of them.

My vision begins to turn to the corner of the room now and I find someone else sitting there. A little boy sits in this corner, all by himself. Dark brown hair and eyes, his hair tied back, but two long bangs in the front of his face that seemed to have been missed. His skin is somewhat tanned, his clothing a dull gray, and his face wearing a lonely expression. This boy, he looks familiar, where have I seen him before... For some reason I find myself approaching him now, even though I have no idea what to say to him when I reach him.

"Um..., hello," are the only words I can think of to say to him.

"...hi," the boy weakly responds, turning his attention to several building blocks at his feet.

"...what are you doing?" I find myself trying to engage in a conversation with the boy.

"Playing blocks," the boy answers as he begins to stack them.

"That's nice, but why don't you play with the other kids?" I ask.

"...I don't play with the other kids," he responds.

"Why not?"

My conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but for some reason, I feel compelled to speak with the child regardless. I don't know where this obligation is coming from, but I feel like it's my responsibility to ask him about his well being.

"...they all think I'm stupid," he answers.

"Now don't say that," I find myself already trying to comfort the child, "you're not stupid. Maybe they're just shy."

"That's not why, all the other kids laugh at me," the boy continues. "They say I'm weird, and that I'm different from everyone else. Why am I different, I'm a kid just like they are, why don't they want to play with me?"

"Never mind them," I try to assure the boy, "they're just jealous of you because you're special," I find myself lying again.

"How am I special?"

"Well..., uh..., everyone's special in their own way," I remember what chaos had said once, "you just have to figure out what it is that makes you so."

"How do I do that?"

"You have to find that out by yourself I'm afraid."

"Ha ha, you're funny," the child gives a small chuckle. "You're the only person except for Mr. Jin and Miss Yui that's talked to me. What's your name?"

"KOS-MOS," I respond.

"That's a funny name," the child laughs again, "what's your real name?"

Should I give him my real name? The only people to ever call me by real name were Shion and my sister. Well, I suppose I can give it to him, for some reason I feel a bit more comfortable being called by it.

"...Elly," I answer, "my name is Elly, what's your name?"

"Abel," the boy responds.

'Abel, where have I heard that name before?' I ask myself in my head.

I don't ever recall meeting this boy, it's only been a month since I was activated, three days since I became human. Someone mentioned the name to me before, but when? Abel's Ark, yes, I'm sure that's where I heard the name, it was part of my mission objectives. An uneasy feeling passes through my being now, I know this is just a child sitting before me, but something's telling me there's something more to him, to this "Abel."

"Hey Elly, can I tell you a secret?" the child's voice suddenly interrupts my thoughts.

"Huh?" I snap back to reality.

"Can I tell you a secret?" the child repeats himself.

"All right," I nod.

"Promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise."

"Really? Cross your heart hope to die? Stick a needle through your eye?"

"Yes, I promise I won't tell anyone," I assure him.

The boy begins to stack the blocks before him again, placing one large one as a base and piling a smaller one on top in a vertical fashion. He then takes a third block, one larger than the base and proceeds to place it on top of the second. For some reason his hand stops three inches above the second block, as if the block would hold in place in the air. Slowly he releases the toy from his grasp and I wait for it to fall. For some reason it doesn't fall, the block remains floating in the air where his hand had placed it, leaving me in awe. He takes a fourth block now into his hand, this one he places to the left of the previous block, again with no support underneath and it also remains in place. This must be an illusion I'm seeing, or at least that's what I would like to believe. I run my hand through the space beneath the blocks and find nothing underneath, no strings or anything holding the toys in place. I quickly move my hand away after as all of the blocks begin to move suddenly, slowly twirling in a circular motion. Again my breath is short upon witnessing this sight, but before I know it, each of the blocks fall to the floor and Abel is left laughing at my facial expression.

"Well what do you think, pretty cool, huh?" the boy says.

"How...how did you do that?" I ask still dumbstruck on the events that just occurred.

"I dunno, it's just something I can do," the boy answers, "you can do it too you know."

"What?"

"I've been waiting for you for a long time," a voice suddenly enters my head.

'Waiting, for me?' I ask in my mind. 'Who are you?'

"I've been waiting for someone like you, waiting just for you, Mother..."

'Mother...?'

"KOS-MOS, is this a new friend of yours?" a voice from reality interrupts.

I turn around and find the silver-haired boy standing behind me, his usual smile stretched across his face. I wait another second for a response from the voice that was speaking to me just a second ago, but I get nothing. Must've been my imagination, I'm sure it's just normal for people to hear voices in their head.

"Hi little guy," the silver-haired boy takes a seat beside Abel, "my name's chaos, what's your name?"

"Abel."

"That's a nice name," chaos compliments.

"Elly, chaos, are you ready to go?" my lover calls from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, just about," I call back.

"Well I'm afraid we have to get going now," chaos tells the boy.

"Awww, already?" the child whines.

"Don't worry, we'll come back another day," the chaos assures him.

"Really? Will you come back too, Elly?" Abel asks me, tugging at my arm.

"I will," I tell the boy.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really really?"

"Now Abel, let's not keep Mr. chaos and Miss KOS-MOS any longer," Jin starts to enter the conversation.

"But Mr. Jin...!" the child moans.

"Don't worry, I promise they'll come back another day, in fact, I'll try to bring them back next time," Jin assures him.

"All right," the child grumbles, "you better keep your promise!"

"I always do," Jin chuckles. "Well then, shall we get going?" he turns his attention toward us.

"Mm-hm," I nod.

"Bye Elly! Bye chaos!" the child calls as we make our way out the door.

We walk outside the orphanage afterward where the others await. Shion already has annoyed look on her face the moment she sees her brother and I prepare to have them get into another argument.

"Jin, that took longer than 'just a second,'" she scolds her brother, "do you realize what else could've happened to the Director while we were dawdling here?"

"It's not like you to complain about coming to the orphanage," Jin says calmly, "I thought you like children?"

"I do, but that's not the point, the Director's life is probably in danger and here we are..."

"Well why didn't you just go to the Second Division yourself then?"

"I can't exactly go without Elly, the Director mentioned her in his orders, or at least I think he did, and I can't just..."

I begin to tune out of their argument once more, looking back into the orphanage. That young boy, Abel, why did I feel so unsettled when I spoke with him? Unsettled, but at the same time, relaxed. I was in such an awe when we spoke, not just because of the blocks, but because of something else, something I can't describe. Part of me was just happy to sit there with him, but I'm not sure why. Then there was that voice I heard before chaos joined in, I think it called me "Mother," but why is that so?

"Chief, I hate to break this up, but shouldn't we be heading to the Second Division now that your brother's got his schedule," Allen finally breaks up their argument.

"You're right," Shion nods, "I can't believe I've been wasting even more time by arguing with my brother here. At any rate, we should call a cab and get to the Second Division as soon as possible."

"If that's the case, MOMO and I had better get to the UMN Committee's Central HQ," Ziggy informs us, "I'm afraid we've spent too much time here already."

"Always a stickler for schedules, aren't you, cyborg," my attention then shifts to the Durandal's young captain. "Is this how it always is before you get a job done, do you really think getting to the UMN sooner is gonna effect the performance of your job?" he says with a sliver of anger in his voice.

"Jr...?" the young realian looks at him with a worried expression on her face.

"Time is always of the essence," the cyborg responds in his usual stoic tone, "we've already spent more than enough time to return MOMO and..."

"Is your paycheck the only thing you care about?!" Jr. continues, raising his voice as loud as ever. "You just wanna dump her off so you can get to your next job, is that it, you're just gonna leave her like that?!"

"Though I dislike your way of words, that describes the situation rather well."

"You son of a...!" the young captain's fist suddenly launches forward.

"Jr.! Ziggy! Stop it!" the young realian screams. "Jr., please calm down, Ziggy's only doing his job, and..."

"Only doing his job, how can you say that, MOMO?!" Jr. turns his anger to the young girl now. "Don't you see what's going on here, he doesn't care about how you're feeling right now, he just wants to drop you off like that and be on his way! I know that's not what you want, MOMO, so..."

"Ziggy's already done more than enough letting me stay with at the Uzuki Residence for the past few days," MOMO interrupts him, "he's already gone more than out of his way to allow me to do so. Ziggy's job was only to escort me to the UMN Committee's Central HQ, that's all, he didn't have to do anything else."

"But...how could you defend someone like him?!"

"I hate to end things on a sour note, but I have to take MOMO to the UMN Committee's Central HQ now," the cyborg says as he takes MOMO's hand.

"Hold it!" Jr.'s voice stops him once more. "I'm going too, there's no way I'm gonna let you off that easy!"

"Jr., stop it!" my lover intervenes now. "Ziggy's just doing his job, you needn't be angry at him for it. If you're going to go with them, I should go as well to make sure..."

"What, but Chief, what about the Director?" Allen reminds her.

"...Shoot!" Shion remembers. "But I can't just let the two of them go off like this."

"I'll go," chaos volunteers. "The UMN Committee's Central HQ is close to the ship auto shop, the captain wanted me to place an order there, so I might as well go with them since it's on the way."

"Are you sure, chaos?" my lover asks.

"Yeah, you have your own worries, let me take care of them, I'll make sure nothing else happens," chaos assures her.

"All right, we're counting on you then," Shion tells him.

"Taxi!" Jin whistles afterward causing a yellow-colored car to suddenly stop by us. "Well if any of you are ever in the neighborhood again, please, don't hesitate to drop by. MOMO, Ziggy, Jr., chaos, please take care."

"Yeah, thanks for everything," Allen says as he follows Jin into the car.

"Well I hope we can all talk again soon," Shion says as she makes her way into the taxi after. "Elly, you say something too."

"I'm not sure how to say goodbyes," I find myself suddenly scratching an itch behind my neck.

"Just goodbye is fine," chaos tells me.

"We'll see you all later!" MOMO calls as I find my way into the back seat.

The moment the doors close in the car, I find myself looking through the back window of the car to see the images of my friends shrinking. I find my eyes beginning to water now, and my nose beginning to sniffle. My mind then begins to shift toward the past, reminding me of the time they invited me to eat with them for breakfast, when we went to the beach, and when we sang karaoke. Saying goodbye, who knew it could hurt so much.

"Are you all right, Elly?" I turn to the seat beside me to find Shion in the same manner.

"I'm fine," I try to answer, wiping away some of the rivers away from my face.

"We'll meet them again," my lover assures me, "I know we will."

* * *

(Jr.'s POV)

That lousy cyborg, who does he think he is? To think that he used to be a human being, I bet he was as cold and detached as he was back then as he is now.

I look out the window of the car we rented, the sunlight glimmering off each of the buildings' windows that we pass. The view of the city looks the same as it always does when I come here, but the emotions running through me are different. MOMO, we've only known each other for about a month, but I feel so...attached to her. Her sakura pink hair, her gold yellow eyes, and her bright smile, for some reason, each of these features and her actual self remind me of "her."

"Is something wrong, Jr.?" the mentioned girl's voice now breaks me out of my thoughts.

"No, I'm all right," I lie, trying my best to give her my usual smile.

"I'm glad to hear it," she returns the smile.

"We'll be arriving at the UMN Committee's Central HQ momentarily," the cyborg informs us from the driver's seat.

The way he talks, so calm and cool, no, more like monotone. Just hearing his voice makes my blood boil. Cyborg, hah, that doesn't even come close to describing him, robot is a more appropriate term, even cyborgs revert back to their human emotions every once and a while.

"Hm?" I turn to chaos who slightly stands from his seat.

"chaos?" MOMO turns next to him.

"Everyone, get down!" he suddenly orders.

The air around the car begins to roar suddenly and tremors begin to wobble it off course. The roaring grows louder and louder, and before any of us know it, the windows begin to crack. The glass breaks furiously in the blink of an eye, the ceiling of the car suddenly hurled towards the road we just past, all of this happening in a second. The wind begins to sting against our faces now, all of us keeping our eyes open through slits. The roaring grows louder now as a dull shimmer of light now rains down from above.

"Pull over, immediately," a female voice echoes from the source of floating metal, "hand over the 100-Series Observational Realian Prototype, if you do not comply, we will attack."

I look further into the sky now to find a dark-colored machine hovering above us. It's an A.G.W.S. unit, a model I've never seen before. This machine is bigger than other A.G.W.S. units though, this one is practically as big as a three-story building. Several pieces of black metal protrude from its back, giving the impression of a cape as a spear of the same color and shape as the back is carried in its right hand. Eyes of yellow glow from its skull, the eyes themselves looking down upon us as if the machine was laughing maniacally. Two more A.G.W.S. units hover beside it, these ones standard VX-5000 units.

"I repeat, hand over the 100-Series Observational Realian Prototype, if you do not comply, we will attack," the voice orders.

"Pellegri...," I turn to chaos who begins to make a fist.

"Like hell we'll hand her over to you!"

I draw my twin pistols at this point, quickly taking aim at the giant A.G.W.S. unit. The one in my right hand pulls back the moment I pull the trigger, the one in left recoiling in the same manner after. The car suddenly begins to pick up speed now, causing me to nearly lose my balance. I turn to the cyborg for a second to see him still wearing that monotone expression on his face, as if he were driving normally. The car begins to bob and weave between other vehicles on the road now, the giant machines still hovering above us as they mimic our actions. I finally get back my balance a few seconds later, this time pointing each gun at a different A.G.W.S. Blam, blam, each of the bullets hits their mark, yet they seem to do nothing but put a small scratch on their armor. Again the car begins to take cover with the rest of the traffic, but this time I don't lose my balance, merely losing my aim.

"Your resistance is futile, hand over the Realian and your fates won't be as bleak," the woman in the giant A.G.W.S. orders again.

"We heard you the first time and nothing's changed!" I scream at the top of my lungs, bringing another shot to the machine.

"So be it."

The weapon in the giant machine's hand pulls toward the ground now. causing the entire road to tremble. The car jumps off the road for a mere second, the front of the car meeting with the ground first before resuming its path. Another tremor follows shortly after, this one more violent than the last. My ordinary pistols aren't going to work, so I decide to switch to my energy one. I take out the battery clip the moment I get it out of my jacket, only 3 shots left according to the reading on the battery, I have to make each one count.

"We've got trouble," the cyborg informs us suddenly.

I turn to the front of the road now and find a bridge in our direction. More A.G.W.S. units now appear in the bridge's direction, all of them coming to a stop at its entrance. The roaring of more engines now grows louder in my ears and I find two more A.G.W.S. beside us, one on each side.

"Got any bright ideas, cyborg?" I ask.

"Sorry, none."

"Dammit!"

I look to the seat beside me and find MOMO huddled to the floor with chaos holding her. The look in both of their eyes, they know there's no way out of this. The car's breaks begin to screech now, our speed quickly dropping. The smell of burning rubber flows into our nostrils the moment our ride comes to a halt, our path blocked from all sides from different A.G.W.S. units. The cyborg gets out of his seat now, and exits the vehicle. chaos proceeds to do the same, but Ziggy stops him with the signal of his hand.

"I'll do my best to distract them," he informs us, "during that time, take MOMO to the UMN. Is that understood?"

"But Ziggy...!" MOMO tries to protest.

"How noble of a relic of the past," the giant A.G.W.S. lands in front of us now, "it's too bad your plan will fail to succeed. How long do you think you can keep all of our forces busy? One minute, two? Even if you were to keep us busy, that doesn't mean our reinforcements aren't heading in this direction. We're not letting the realian slip from our grasp this time."

I look back to the other side of the bridge and find specks hovering in the sky, these specks growing bigger with every second. She wasn't kidding, reinforcements are already heading this way.

"You lose," the woman in the machine says, "game over."

"Dammit, I can't let it end like this!" I grumble, despite knowing that we've lost.

* * *

XenoMark's Note: A cliffhanger already, yeah I couldn't help it. In any case I hope you liked this first chapter, sorry about the pacing being slow and awkward, but I assure you the pacing will be better for the rest of the fic. Reviews are welcome, but no flames as usual. Yeah, I know the chase scene at the end was different in Xenosaga Episode 2, but hey, I said this was an AU after all, so things are definitely going to be different than the game. Well that's it for now, I hope you look forward to later chapters of this fic. Later people!


	2. Pulling Strings

XenoMark's Note: Sorry about the long wait, but there's been a lot of junk that's been happening in my personal life these past few months, namely school, work, and the fact that my computer's a piece of junk. In any case, let me remind you that things would will be different from the original episode 2, and this chapter is no exception either. Another character enters the scene in this chapter, Xenogears fans will immediately recognize her when her name is mentioned. Well enough with the small talk, let's get to the story.

Shi's Note: Well, I guess I should put in my two cents worth of talking,eh? I've been around this place for a while, for those of you who actually remember me as LadyShinigami, StormGuardian, or whatever else name I came up with. I've been hanging around this XenoMark for a while and I gotta admit, he's awesome. Anyways, as I've got nothing more to say here really, lets drop to the story.

Chapter 2: Pulling Strings

(Shion's POV)

Vector's Second R & D Division, after staying home for three days, Elly, Allen, and I have finally decided to come here. The last time I was here was two years ago I believe; it was to oversee the production of Miang's, the Archetype KOS-MOS, second armament. At the time, Miang was in the final phase of being completed, a month before she was activated and went berserk. To be honest I never did like going here, to the Second Division, maybe it was because of all the weapons that were built here; the division seemed a lot more like a weapons facility or military base than a laboratory. Today however, I do not feel uneasy because of that fact, I feel uneasy because of what may have happened to the Director, but not only that, I may also have to turn Elly in for her secondary equipment.

I turn to the seat beside me and find the blue-haired angel staring out the window, her face wearing an expression of sorrow. It amazes me when I think back at how fast my little girl grew up in the last month, from a monotone and emotionless android to a emotional woman full of life. In the last week alone she's shown me more expressions than when she ever did when she was first activated; sadness, loneliness, concern, happiness, love, she never was able to comprehend what these things were until recently.

The taxi cab comes to a stop now, stopping before twin structures with a large open area between. It is impossible to see the top of the structures, I feel as if I'd fall down attempting to. We all make our way out of the car now, Jin paying the driver's fee before shortly joining us at the entrance. The way things look on the outside, it looks as if nothing happened. The images I saw during my conversation with the Director, did they only pertain to his office? I have to see for myself now.

"What's your business here?" the security guard stops us at the front gate.

"My name is Shion Uzuki, I'm the Chief Engineer of the KOS-MOS Project by Vector's First R & D Division," I show him my job ID, "I'm here to give a report to the Director."

"Go on through," the guard opens the gate for us.

Without wasting another second, I take everyone to the east tower where the Director's Office is located. Luckily there is an elevator waiting for us the moment we enter the first hall, allowing us to get to his office more quickly. Silence is the only thing I hear as we go up the floors, that is, until my idiot brother decides to break it.

"Is my sister always like this?" I overhear Jin whisper to Allen.

"Yeah, whenever she has to go in to meet the director, she always gets so tense that..."

"I can hear you!" I fume.

"I see your point," Jin tells Allen.

"What's that supposed to mean, Jin?!" I yell at my brother. "Allen, what do you mean I get so tense whenever I have to go in to meet the director?" I turn my attention to him after. "If you have something to say about me, then say it now!"

"Chief, it's not like I mean to disrespect you or anything," my co-worker says nervously, "it's just that well..."

"Well what?!"

"Shion, please calm down," I suddenly find my hand wrapped around another. "I know you're upset about what you saw over the phone, but please, don't take your frustration out on Jin and Allen."

"You're right," I find myself beginning to calm down, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, Chief, you must have a lot to worry about, not just the Director, but having to turn KOS-MOS in to the Second Division, it must be hard having to..."

"Of course it's hard!" I find myself raising my voice once more. "I mean," I try to calm myself down once more, "I don't want to turn Elly in to the Second Division after all that's happened to her recently."

"Is that the only reason?" Jin asks as he folds his arms to his chest.

"No it isn't," I shake my head, "if I had it my way, I would never turn Elly in to them."

"Don't worry so much, Shion," Elly tries to assure me, "do you think they would even still want me now that I'm no longer an android. I'm just an ordinary woman now, what could they possibly want with me now?"

"I suppose you're right, Elly," I lie.

I know things aren't going to be that easy. Even if what I saw happen to the Director wasn't true and is still okay, he would still order me to turn Elly in to the Second Division. The Director may be a patient man, but even if I were to explain the events that happened in the past few days, I doubt he would even believe me. The story about Elly's dormant sister, Miang, resurfacing after all these years and trying to take over her body would sound ridiculous to most people, even more so when I tell him that it was her violent actions that turned Elly into a human being. Still, I should try to convince him..

"You're late, Ms. Uzuki," a voice greets us the moment the elevator door is opened.

I expect to see the Director on the other side, but instead we are greeted by a different individual. The voice that was spoken, it was not the Director's, but it was a familiar voice nonetheless. The doors fully open now and we find a rather well-dressed individual standing before us. He wears a finely-made suit, one that doesn't have a fold or loose thread. His hair is well-groomed, his white hair not going past his skull, but two long curly bangs hang down the front but don't cover his face whatsoever. His eyes are of a red shade, his pupils giving the impression of tranquility. His skin is as pale as a ghost, the same color of his hair, yet there is not a smudge nor scratch on the surface. His appearance and demeanor remind me of someone, but who? chaos? No, that can't be, they look nothing alike, and yet...

"S...Sir Wilhelm, CEO of Vector Industries!" I turn to my side to find Allen quickly bowing to the individual.

"Sir Wilhelm?!" I finally realize who the man standing before us is. "Oh my gosh, it is quite an honor to meet you, sir!" I quickly bow as well.

So that's who this man is, Sir Wilhelm, the CEO of Vector. I have never met this man in person until now, I had only seen him in galas and company meetings, but I never had the chance to speak with him. To have the CEO of our company personally meet us is quite an honor, he hardly visits the lower divisions of the company, much less any of its employees.

"No, the honor is quite mine," the man bows as well. "Please, there is no need to be so formal with me, Mr. Ridgeley, Ms. Uzuki, and...," he stops as he turns to my brother and Elly.

"Uzuki," Jin bows, "Jin Uzuki, I'm Shion's older brother."

"Escorting your sister to work I see," the CEO says with a slight chuckle, "I didn't think there were siblings like you that were still around."

"Well if I don't do it, who knows what kind of trouble she'd get into," my brother remarks as I try my best not to lose my temper in Sir Wilhelm's presence.

"And you must be the android that Ms. Uzuki was creating for the last two years," Sir Wilhelm then turns his attention to Elly. "KP-X, abbreviated name 'KOS-MOS,' serial number 00-00-00-00-1, correct?"

"That's what some people call me," Elly says uneasily. "To be honest, I don't really like that name," she continues.

"Then you have another name you would like to go by?"

"Elly," my lover answers, "Shion has named me 'Elly.'"

"Very well then, Miss Elly," Sir Wilhelm corrects himself.

"Um sir, there was a reason as to why we came in today," I tell him, "you see, when I received a call from the Director this morning..."

"About that," Sir Wilhelm interrupts, "the Director signed a letter of resignation today."

"What?"

"I received the letter this morning, the reason was 'family difficulties,'" the CEO informs me.

"That can't be," I tell him, "when I spoke with him over the phone..."

"Ugh...," I turn to my side to find my lover suddenly pushing her palm against her forehead.

"Elly, what's wrong?" I quickly turn my attention to her.

"My head hurts...," she answers.

"A fever maybe," I bring her temple to mine for a moment, "no, you're not burning up..."

"In any case Ms. Uzuki, in the Director's place, I would like you to turn KOS-MOS in to the Second Division now," Sir Wilhelm orders.

"What, but Sir, Elly isn't..."

"Feeling well? Ms. Uzuki, she is an android, how could a machine not feel well and..."

"But she's not a machine!" I interrupt him. "She's human being, just like you and me, so please, don't label her as such."

"So then this isn't the KOS-MOS unit you have been building up to this point?" he asks.

"Yes and no, Sir, you see..."

"Ah!" my lover now falls to her knees, her palms pushing into her forehead further.

"Elly!"

"I'll have our men look into this, in the meantime, Ms. Hawwa," he calls to the other side of the room.

"Sir?"

A woman steps forward now, her entire body clothed in a dull gray security outfit. She wears not a speck of make up on her face as company protocol dictates, though she doesn't seem to show any individuality whatsoever on her clothing. No necklaces, bracelets, or rings, nor does she allow her hair to be free from the security cap. Her eyes are not in view either, her pupils covered by the bill of her cap. The only skin she shows are on her hands and face, all of which are a creamy milk white. I find myself shivering for some reason as I look at her, afraid of her aura, yet for some reason, another part of me feels relaxed. She seems so calm, so cool, so...emotionless. She begins to approach us now, taking to Sir Wilhelm's side.

"Please take the KOS-MOS unit to Laboratory 202, room 6," Sir Wilhelm orders the woman.

"Yes sir," the woman salutes. "I presume you are the KOS-MOS unit," she turns to Elly.

"Huh?" my lover stops gripping her head now.

"You don't seem like it," the security guard tells her as she slowly returns to her feet, "you look like an ordinary girl to me, but then again, I guess it's the same with realians these days, it's hard to tell them apart from humans. Anyway, come along now."

"No," Elly quickly backs away, "I don't want to go."

"What?" Sir Wilhelm says somewhat surprised.

"I said I don't want to go!" Elly repeats in a yell.

"Sir Wilhelm, please let me explain the situation," I try to reason with him.

"I'm afraid that nothing you say can change the fact that you must turn KOS-MOS over to us now," Sir Wilhelm tells us. "Guards!"

Two more security guards appear now, quickly taking to Elly's side and taking her arms into theirs.

"Wait, you can't just...!"

"Ms. Uzuki, I'm afraid..."

"Stop it!" Elly orders the two guards. "Let me go! Shion!"

"Elly!"

I've had enough of trying to explain my situation to the CEO, I'm afraid the only thing I can do now is...

"Chief, stop!" Allen takes hold of my arm.

"Let me go, Allen!" I order him. "I can't just let them take Elly like that!"

"But Chief, no matter how you look at it..."

"Elly!" I manage to break out of his hold.

I find my feet pushing against the floor with all my strength, quickly brushing past Sir Wilhelm but before I can go further, the security guard that was at his side suddenly brings herself before my path, her arms quickly taking hold of my shoulders and pushing me back.

"Stop it!" I order the woman. "I can't let you take Elly away from me!"

"Restrain yourself, Ms. Uzuki," the woman orders me, "otherwise I will be forced to take drastic action. I don't want any harm to come to you, so please..."

Without thinking, I quickly bring my knee upward, striking the guard in the rib cage. The force of the blow makes the woman hunch forward, and giving me the opportunity to continue my chase. After several steps however, I suddenly find myself being pulled as if something were trapped my hair. I succumb to the grab the security had somehow laid upon me, and so, I return to the source for a moment. Instead of surrendering to the guard and Sir Wilhelm would expect, I bring my elbow back, the joint striking the lip of my captor. My entire body turns around after, my left leg leading the way as the side of my foot meets with the torso of the woman. Her fingers finally release their hold on my hair and again I hurry to my angel's rescue.

"Elly!"

Before I could take another step however, the woman I thought I had just taken care of suddenly appears before my path once more. My fist is the first come forward this time, but before it could find its intended target, the crook of her arm blocks its path, blocking my attack. Before I could do anything else, a force is suddenly exerted on my abdomen and the air flowing against my body.

"SHION!!!!" I hear my lover scream.

I begin to push myself up now, the pain in my stomach intensifying as I do so. I finally manage to at least get my head to look in the direction where I fell and I find the woman standing several feet away from me, with her arm still stretched forward. I try to push myself off the ground again, but I find all of my energy suddenly drained thanks to that punch that woman dealt me.

"Chief, are you all right?!" Allen rushes to my aid.

"Why you...!" I look to my brother who begins to draw his sword.

"Don't try it!" the security now reaches for the pistol on her belt.

"That will be enough, Ms. Hawwa, Ms. Uzuki," Sir Wilhelm orders.

"No, I won't let you...!"

"Ms. Uzuki, whether you like it or not, we are taking custody of KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1 as of this moment," the CEO begins to turn away. "Further more, because of your inability to follow orders and neglecting to report to HQ three days after your arrival on Second Miltia, I'm afraid to inform you that you are suspended from Vector Industries for six months without pay. Further more, if you are somehow able to violate your suspension, I will have you and your brother arrested for assault in your attempt to defy my orders. Mr. Ridgeley, if you even attempt to help Ms. Uzuki violate her suspension, I will have you charged with criminal assistance."

"Wait, I didn't do anything wrong, I would never...," Allen tries to object.

"You can charge me with anything, just return Elly to me now!" I order.

"Shion please, that's enough," my brother tries to calm me down.

"But Jin...!!!"

"Shion, forget about me for now," I look over to my lover, "we...we'll be back together soon enough, so please..."

"Elly..."

"Ms. Hawwa, if Ms. Uzuki, her brother, or Mr. Ridgeley give you any more trouble on their way out, please feel free to kill them if necessary," Sir Wilhelm orders as he takes his leave.

"Come on!" the other two guards order my blue-haired angel as they follow the CEO.

"Wait!" I order, returning to my feet once again.

"Please don't do anything else now," the guard I had just attacked blocks my path again. "I don't want any more harm to come to you," she tells me politely.

"You tell me that after you've punched me to the ground!" I seethe, bringing my fist forward once more.

Again my attack his caught, this time by the palm of her hand. My other hand comes forward now in a downward swing, but this time my wrist is caught by her right hand. She makes no attempt to retaliate this time though, instead just holding me in place. I can feel the moisture in my eyes beginning to escape now, more tears escaping with each blow I try to lay on the woman. The attempted strikes begin to grow weaker now, weaker and weaker until all of my energy is converted into the rivers that now crawl down my face. I find my entire body falling to the ground now, but for some reason the woman in front of me stops my fall, her arms now clinging onto me tightly. The streams that roll down my cheeks come to a halt for a second, freezing from the warmth of this woman's body. I feel my anger beginning to subside now, why, I do not know. This woman, though she has struck me down and taken Elly from me, for some reason this situation feels so... familiar. This warmth that she gives me, why is it that I feel this way?

"I'm sorry, Shion," the woman begins to apologize, "I truly am sorry about everything..."

"Everything...?" I begin to look at her face now.

Tears of her now flow down the sides of her face, her mouth quivering and her entire body beginning to tremble. Her hold on me begins to release itself now, her arms now falling to her side and her head drooping to the ground. I begin to step away now, wondering what it is that's making this woman cry.

"I'm sorry," the guard quickly begins to wipe away her tears, "I didn't mean to... In any case, I'm afraid we'll be taking custody of Elly; do forgive me, but I'm simply following my orders. I must bid you good day for now," the woman looks at me for one more second before going on her way.

'Those eyes...,' I notice now that she turns away.

"Wait a second!" I try to call after the woman.

The guard simply continues on her way, not wasting another second to look back. For a small moment, I had just seen the guard's eyes. They were full of sorrow, yet so calm like the ocean. The pupils in those white orbs, they were a very familiar color, a color I had only seen two people have. A beautiful sky blue, that's what they were, but that can't be, not after what happened. It's impossible, and yet, if it is true, then that would explain why I felt what I did when she was holding me. Could it be that...?

"Chief, are you all right?" Allen tries to ask me.

"Blue...," I recall the color of her irises, "they were... blue."

"Chief?"

"I...I'm sorry," I apologize, "I must have gotten carried away back there."

"Shion...," my brother looks at me with a concerned look on his face.

"But the fact is... Elly is...," my eyes begin to melt once again, "and I..."

"Shion, don't say anything," Jin tells me as he brings his arms around me, "come on, let's just go home."

'Just what am I supposed to do, Kevin?' I think to myself. 'After all your hard work to try and get her created, I couldn't...'

"...and thus I believe it is necessary to create such a force to combat this threat," I recall that day four years ago.

It had been about a month since I started working at Vector, during that time, Kevin had created the blue prints to the original KOS-MOS, Miang, and was presenting the idea to the head executives of Vector. The meeting took place in Ariadne, it was a cold and rainy evening. Kevin had chosen me to act as his assistant during the meeting, why me, I still don't know to this day.

"So you're saying that a combat android is sufficient enough to combat the Gnosis?" one of the executives asked. "Why an android, why not just create a realian to do the job?"

"Sir, I believe an android is more controllable than a realian," Kevin continued, "you see even if a military realian is programmed without emotions, there's always a risk that it may go out of control since they are capable of free will. That is not the case with androids however, they have no free will whatsoever, they act accordingly to their original program."

"I understand the basic concepts of your idea, Mr. Winnicott," another executive said, "but don't you think our current military forces are enough to defend us from these attacks?"

"Actually I'd like my assistant, Ms. Uzuki, to answer that question."

"What, but Chief Winnicott...!" I said shocked at his last statement.

"Well Ms. Uzuki, what do you think?"

"Well, I, uh... To tell you the truth, I don't think our current military forces are enough to combat the Gnosis," I blurted out. "Even if we had all of our forces together, it wouldn't do any real damage to the Gnosis. We would only be able to protect ourselves for a period of time before they break through our defenses, which is why the KOS-MOS Project is so important."

"Reading over your file, it says that each unit of the KOS-MOS Project is equipped with the Hilbert Effect," one of the committee members followed, bringing the report to his eyes, "I don't see how that can really change anything if we can simply add that to every spacecraft, it seems a lot less expensive than creating a whole legion of these androids."

"Yes, well...," I found myself stuttering. "The androids would be more mobile then the space ships, sir. They're also smaller in size and would be of more use in other areas, where a ship is far too big to....."

"Ms. Uzuki, you are well aware of the fact that our company also creates the smallest space ships in the universe, do you not?" a third member asked. "I'm sure a simple pod-like ship would be enough to stop a Gnosis if the ship were equipped with the Hilbert Effect."

"Uh... Oh..., but you see, I think the benefits of the KOS-MOS Project would be well worth it, sir," I tried to explain.

"How long have you been with the company so far, Ms. Uzuki?" the same committee member asked. "Not even a year? Tell me this, why should we go along with a plan that an employee, who doesn't seem to know much about the company and hasn't even been a year with us at that, issued us? Why should the committee approve such a project that one with very little experience and knowledge offered us?"

"Because sir... I...," my words began to fumble, "the project itself may seem far-fetched but it would be a great advantage for us once...!"

"That is all Ms. Uzuki, Mr. Winnicott," another member interrupted. "We shall give you the committee's decision within a week's time, good day."

"Ye..yes sir," were the last words I could recall.

After all that trouble, after all that humiliation I went through on that day, the company decides to just take Elly away from me as if she meant nothing to me. The company didn't even seem to want to go through the project though, and yet here they are demanding that I turn Elly over to them. I can't believe the company has stepped over me like this. I would issue a complaint, but even I know things will work against me if I did, I assaulted that security guard after all. Elly, why did they have to take her now, why take away the one I love?

(MOMO's POV)

We're surrounded, this can't be happening, after everyone's hard work to try and keep these people away from me, they're still able to...

I can't control the trembling in my knees, the air in my lungs begins to grow short, and I'm starting to feel faint. The soldiers jump out of their machines now, each of them pointing a projectile weapon at us. I find my feet automatically forcing me to back away, stopping the moment my back meets with the side of the car. I look to my sides to find my friends standing beside me. Jr.'s fingers twitch nearly every second, he seems so tense as he tries to hold back from pulling his guns' triggers. chaos stands perfectly still, his arms barely relaxed as the dangle his sides, but his face shows an expression I've hardly seen him wear, an expression of anger. Ziggy on the other hand, stands with his hands already behind his head with his face totally calm.

"That's right, no one need to die needlessly," the commanding female voice from the largest A.G.W.S. says as we all put our hands in the air.

"Jr., Ziggy, what do we do now?" I ask, keeping my voice as low as possible.

"Stay calm, MOMO," Ziggy orders me. "As long as we cooperate, no harm will come to you. Their goal is to retrieve you unharmed, there is a very low probability that will do anything rash."

"What about you, Jr., and chaos?"

"Don't worry about us," Jr. tells me, "we'll think of a way how to get out of this. It's not like this is going to be the end, you know."

"You, the pink-haired girl, get over here, now!" one of the U-TIC soldiers orders me in a harsh tone. "Don't try anything stupid or we'll fill each of your friends with holes. The same thing applies to you three," the soldier turns his attention to the others, "try anything and we'll open fire!"

"Before that, do you guarantee the safety of the others?" I ask their leader.

"What?"

"Will you spare my friends if I agree to go with you?"

"The others will be spared if you go with us," the woman in the largest A.G.W.S. answers, "you have my word."

"Okay..."

"MOMO, don't!" Jr. yells.

The deal I made with the woman makes Jr. bare his teeth. I can see how desperately he wants to draw his weapons again and open fire on the U-TIC soldiers, and I can understand how he feels, but I don't want to see any of my friends injured because on my account. I bring my hand onto Jr.'s shoulder now, causing the muscles in his face loosen. I give him a soft smile and the rest of his body grows even less tense. I take a moment to smile at him for a little while so that he can relieve more of his anger, gazing into his eyes until I feel as if there is no more. I turn back to the soldiers now, my smile quickly melting away when I realize the fate that awaits me. Without looking back, I begin to walk forward now, walking until I find myself at the feet of the giant, dark-colored machine.

"A wise choice, 100-Series Observational Realian," the pilot inside says. "Now kill the rest of them as ordered!"

"What?! You said that...!"

A blast of gunfire echoes in my ears now, my eyes shutting the moment the roar of the bullets enters my ears. I quickly shut my eyes after, my knees pushing to the ground and my arms hugging the sides of my head. I find myself being suddenly lifted from where I sat, my stomach resting against what seems to be someone's shoulder and my legs dangling.

"Put me down!" I order, my eyes and throat burning. "How could you just open fire on them after you promised! You're the worst person ever! I won't forgive you for this!"

"Is that what you say to the person that saved you?"

"Huh?"

I open my eyes and find a black jacket clinging onto the body of the one that saved me. I look a little to the right to find a shade of red hair and blue eyes.

"Jr.?"

"You idiots! Fire! Fire!" the woman in the giant mech orders her men as a hail of bullets fires from the sky.

I look upward now to find another machine, this one the same height as the dark-colored one the woman pilots. The A.G.W.S. is a light blue color, it's legs have a similar design to Jr.'s A.G.W.S., but it has two large guns coming out of its back. The bullets fired from the U-TIC soldiers have no effect on the giant robot regardless of where the projectiles hit. Another hail of bullets rains from the A.G.W.S., this one killing a majority of the soldiers on the ground.

"Dammit, this was unexpected," the pilot in the dark-colored mech curses. "Looks like I have no choice but to retreat for now, but I swear, I'll make you all pay for this."

"Pellegri, wait!" I look over to find chaos trying to chase after her.

"You?!" the mech comes to a halt in mid-air.

The blue machine tries to attack now, another burst of fire escaping the barrels of its weapons. The dark one somehow manages to dodge each shot, evading the fire by weaving from side-to-side. Seeing that his current tactics aren't working, the pilot of the blue A.G.W.S. now rushes forward with its right fist launching forward. Its opponent intercepts the attack with the lunge of its spear, forcing the blue A.G.W.S. to stop its punch and make it open its hands in order to catch the attack. Unfortunately the spear attack was only a decoy, the real attack was a kick that came from the dark-colored A.G.W.S.

"I have no time for this," Pellegri tells the pilot in the blue A.G.W.S., "but I had no idea you were here," she turns her attention back to chaos. "Is this what you've decided?" she asks only to get a response of silence. "Hm, I see..., if that's the case, it won't be long until we see each other again."

Without saying another word, the dark-colored A.G.W.S. begins to fly into the atmosphere. I turn my attention back to Jr. who stands beside me and find him unharmed from the sudden attack. His anger has already subsided, but he doesn't give me his usual smile. Still, he gives me a look of relief which assures me that he's okay. I turn to my side to find Ziggy now approaching us, his expression as calm as ever.

"MOMO, are you okay?" Jr. asks me.

"I'm okay," I answer, "but who was it that saved us?"

"I don't know," Ziggy answers as the blue machine begins to land near us, "but perhaps we'll find out."

The cockpit of the machine opens now, a small cloud of smoke breathing out as a man in a Federation Military uniform makes his way out of the A.G.W.S. As the smoke clears, the first color I see emerge from the smoke is a bright orange color. His hair, that's the first thing we see, his somewhat shaggy hair that covers his entire forehead and a majority of the back of his neck. His uniform though, is a bit different than normal military uniforms in terms of color. Instead of being a dark blue color like most A.G.W.S. pilots' clothing, his suit is a greenish-gray shade. The zipper on the top half of his uniform is partially open, revealing a blank white t-shirt underneath. I turn my attention to his face now; his chin is very sharp, yet his nose is a bit flat. The biggest surprise, however, is the color of his eyes, they're a bright yellow color, the same color as mine.

"Who are you," I ask the man, "are you a realian too?"

"Correct," the pilot answers with a monotone expression, "I am a Federation Military Realian, designated name 'Canaan.'"

The way he speaks, it's eerily similar to how KOS-MOS used to talk. Monotone, not a shred of emotion is found in his voice, I thought even military realians were programmed to show some emotions.

"Canaan, it's been a while," chaos greets the realian standing before us.

"It appears so, chaos," Canaan nods. "My apologies," he turns to Jr. after, "I did not see you there, Rubedo."

"Forget about it," Jr. tells the military realian.

"You all know each other?" Ziggy asks the three.

"It's a long story," chaos answers, "but in any case, it's a good thing you were flying around, Canaan, if you weren't I don't even want to imagine what might have happened."

"Actually I was on my way to the Uzuki Residence," Canaan explains, "my orders were to assist in bringing the 100-Series Observational Realian to the UMN Central HQ. It was by chance that I was able to find the three of you under attack by the U-TIC Organization."

"Still, thank you very much for rescuing us," I thank the military realian.

"I was merely performing my duty," Canaan answers. "With the current threat now over, I suggest that you bring the 100-Series Observational Realian over to the UMN Central HQ. To prevent any further attacks by U-TIC, I will escort you three there."

"Yeah, that'd be a great idea," Jr. agrees.

To the UMN Central HQ, I should be safe there, even if I won't be, at least I'll be able to see Mommy again.

(Ziggy's POV)

The UMN Central HQ, my final destination for this mission, the first part in becoming a complete machine.

"Follow me," the military realian orders the four of us.

We begin to walk down the empty entrance hall of the building, not a single person or furniture in sight. Looking down this hall reminds me of what will become of me; all my memories erased, not a shred of emotion, a blank slate is what I will be left with after this mission is complete.

"You have finally arrived," the voice of a middle-aged woman enters my ears now.

"Mommy, I...," MOMO tries to speak with her, speak with the woman who is supposed to be her mother.

"You have done well, Ziggurat 8," Juli turns her attention toward me, not saying a single word to her daughter. "Your mission is now complete, I thank you for your efforts."

"You're welcome," are the only words I can say.

"It's been so long, Mommy, I..."

"Ziggurat 8, come with me," the woman now tells me, again not saying anything to her daughter. "Canaan, take the rest of them to the third level laboratory in section 5."

"Yes ma'am."

"Mommy, can we...," MOMO tries to speak with mother again, but still gets no response.

"Come along now," the orange-haired realian orders my comrades.

"Can you give us one moment?" chaos asks the man. "Ziggy, I appreciate the help you've given us on our journey so far. I just thought I should thank you, that's all."

"Yes, thank you, Ziggy," MOMO tells me as well.

I turn to the captain of the Durandal now. His eyes may be facing the floor, but I can tell that his pupils are still filled with anger and rage toward me. His naivety is getting the best of him, I know he has no words for me, it is probably best this way.

My employer begins to take her leave now and I begin to follow. There's no need to look back at my former comrades, however...

"We'll meet again, won't we, Ziggy?" I find the little girl's hands wrapped around my own.

I turn to her for a second, turning to the yellow irises in her eyes. Water begins to drop from the edges of her pupils and her lips begin to quiver. Her hold on my hand begins to tighten now and her brow falls to my arm, pulling the rest of her body closer to mine. I do nothing but stand there as she holds me, do nothing but observe the young child. She begins to remind me of that day now, reminding me of the warmth of his hand and the tears that were shed that day. I feel my throat beginning to grow parched now, a feeling I had not felt in the longest time. My eyes are beginning to burn as well; I know that if I were to continue standing here these unwanted feelings will only worsen.

I then place my free hand on the child's head and say, "We will meet again, MOMO."

I begin to walk now, slowly freeing my arm from MOMO's hold as I follow my employer to one of the elevators at the end of the hall. Not a word is said as the two of us ride the lift to the lower floors of the building, my thoughts still lingering to the young girl's hold on my hand. When I look into my palm, I see her teary-eyed face once more and the last words she said to me. This is very unprofessional of me, I shouldn't be thinking of such things.

"You've grown close to her I see," my employer suddenly speaks.

"Excuse me?"

"It's nothing..."

"This isn't any of my business, but I have to say that you were rude to her back there," I suddenly bring up. "You didn't say a single word to your own daughter."

"That shouldn't be any of your concern," Juli retorts. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've grown very attached to that realian."

At the risk of insulting her any further, I decide to say nothing else. Grown an attachment to MOMO, I believe there is some truth to what Juli had said. It is very unprofessional of me, however, when I become a complete machine, it will be a piece of my new blank slate...

(Jr.'s POV)

I watch from the other side of the glass as they place MOMO in the center of the room. As all of the workers do their individual tasks, she wears her usual smile, the smile she's always been wearing ever since Albedo...

"Are you all right, Jr.?" chaos's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You seem troubled about something, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assure him, doing my best to brush away my anger.

My attention returns to the other room now, to the other side of the glass where MOMO still stands. That smile, no matter what situation she's in, no matter what happens, she always wears that smile. Why is it that every time I see that smile I'm almost driven to tears? When I saw that smile back then, I never cried, and now...

"Is she always like this?"

"I'm afraid so, Rubedo. My daughter, Sakura, I'm afraid she's been brain dead for as long as I can remember."

Sakura Mizrahi, I first met her fifteen years ago, and I met her in her comatose state. She couldn't speak, she couldn't see, and she couldn't hear, but that didn't stop me from wanting to talk to her.

"So there is no way to communicate with her?" Gaignun had asked.

"There is a way, Nigredo, although the technology itself is not perfected yet," Mizrahi answered. "Have you ever heard of an encephalon? It's a recently made technology that creates an artificial environment in one's brain. I have created an encephalon specifically for my daughter so that my wife, Juli, and I could speak with her in her current state. If you like, I could introduce you three to her."

"We really don't have time for stuff like that," I answered, "we'll continue waiting for Yuriev as ordered."

I don't know why, but regardless of what I said, I really did want to talk with her. Was it because I was intrigued by her, or was it because of Yuriev's wish to have us, his "children," try to expand our horizons and meet new people.

"Oh come on, Rubedo, can we take a break for once?" Albedo begged.

Albedo, he was so different back then. He wasn't that maniac who took pleasure in mutilating himself or harming others, he was so innocent, so childish, so...weak.

"It's not going to do us any harm, Rubedo," Gaignun added. "It's not like we're really going anywhere, it will give us something to do while we wait."

I'm not sure what was with me back then. I always stuck to my duties back, almost as if I had no mind of my own. Funny how I get angry at others who are like that in the present, I just find it most ironic that I dislike people who are like the person I was in the past. However that day was different, I decided to take a break from our orders, I made my very own decision for once.

"...all right, but we'll only stay for a short period," I decided to give in.

It wasn't long before the four of us were given dive units. In the blink of an eye, the laboratory had disappeared. A lush garden filled with orchids and other flowers was now beneath our feet. Blue sky, white clouds, and a soft breeze, it was like something you'd only read in fairy tales. It wasn't long before the sound of piano began playing. We all turned to the source the moment the soft melody began playing, finding a young girl with dark brown hair sitting in the middle of the garden while playing the piano. I don't know how to describe what I felt when I saw her, all I know is that it was the first time I had ever felt that way. Duty, mission, orders, these words and others associated with them had vanished the moment I saw her; I felt like we were the only ones standing in the garden that day.

The piano had come to a halt shortly after, the player's attention now turning toward us. The moment her eyes met with mine, I felt as if my heart skipped a beat. For once I felt lost, lost within those beautiful cinnamon eyes. A smile fell upon her face moments after, that smile forever etching into my memory.

"Sakura, I'd like you to meet some of daddy's friends," Mizrahi said as he introduced us.

"I'm Nigredo."

"A... A... My name's Albedo..., h... how do you do?"

"Rubedo, they call me Rubedo."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you all!" she said, her smile growing brighter with her voice.

"Is everything ready?" Juli Mizrahi's voice returns me to the present.

"Yes ma'am," one worker answers.

"Then begin the download of the Y-Data."

"Roger. Initiating the link up between the 100-Series Observational Realian Prototype and the UMN."

The next room begins to glow a light blue as MOMO continues to stand at the center of the area. Her body begins to float as more of that light begins to emit from her body. Her gaze turns to me for a mere second, her smile still being worn on her face. I return the expression with one of my own and she nods. Her lips lose their curl gradually as her eyes begin to close. Eventually her body lies in midair, completely unsuspended as the illumination grows brighter. Then another color begins to fill the room, the color red. The sound of alarms begin to ring now, the blue light beginning to dim.

"What's going on?!" Juli jumps from her seat at the sound of the alarm.

"A virus is being uploaded into the UMN System," one of the workers reports.

"What, that's impossible! Where's it coming from?!"

"The 100-Series, ma'am!"

"What the hell?!" I bang my fist against the glass wall. "MOMO!"

The expression on her face is one I wished I would never see her in again. The expression of pain, I never wanted to ever see it again. The way her face scrunches, how her body twists, again I'm reminded of that time.

"No, stop it!" I cry.

The sound of her cries, how she called out my name during that time. When she ran between the both of us during that fateful day fourteen years ago, and that time when that monster, when that bastard violated her. No, don't remind me, don't show me again! Stop it, just stop it!

"Rubedo, you murderer!"

"No, it's your fault why she died!"

"So sweet, so alive!"

"Get your hand off her you mother...!"

"Help me, Jr.!" her cry echoes in my mind once more.

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The entire room grows dark suddenly, but the light returns a second after. The plug had been pulled for a moment, but that brief second wasn't enough to free me from these memories. The cold feel of the floor still crawls up my temple, the blood in my veins boiling in my fists, and my eyes still burning like coal.

"Jr., are you all right?" chaos tries to ask me.

He helps me return to my feet, allowing me to get another view of the next room. A whole crowd of workers now surround her. I can barely see her, see her as she lies on the ground now entirely motionless. Her "mother" brings her fingers to her wrist now and I prepare for the worst.

"She's still alive," Juli announces, "take her over to the maintenance lab in the second floor."

I breath a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. She's still alive, that's good to hear, but why do I have a feeling that everything's not okay.

"Ma'am, we have another problem," another worker informs her.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid a gate has suddenly opened."

"A gate? Which one?"

"You're not going to believe this, but it's the gate to Old Miltia."

The gate to Old Miltia, only he could have done this. Albedo you bastard, just what the hell are you up to this time?!

(Jin's POV)

"Chief, no matter how you look at it, they would have taken KOS-MOS back at some point," Allen says as he tries to comfort my sister, "I mean, even you had to know this day would eventually come."

"It doesn't matter, Allen!" Shion screamed, her fist meeting with the edge of the counter. "I didn't try to stop her in the end and I'm sure there was more I could do. I promised Elly I would always be with her. It's not fair of me to just hand her over like that. I should have tried harder!"

She's been like this for the last two hours. My sister is not one who gets this upset, even what the two of us argue. Alcohol is a substance she usually ignores, even when going out with her friends. To tell you the truth, I can only think of one instance aside from this one in which she's consumed it. Naturally I can't help but worry, even though I know she'll get over it in time. At least, I hope she'll get over it.

"Shion, it's not like you could have done anything," I tell her, "and even if you did try anything right now, Sir Wilhelm said he would have you arrested. I mean, you're lucky enough to only get laid off after assaulting that security guard."

"Still Jin, I let her down when I could have done more to keep her safe," she says as she takes another shot of her drink. "You just don't go around and let people take away who you care about. I don't care what happens to me, so long as Elly is safe."

"Shion, there are some things you can't control, things we can't..."

"You aren't listening to me!" she interrupts. "I could have done more, tried harder for her! But I didn't. I let those people take her away without so much as an argument. How would you feel if you did that, Jin?"

"Um Chief, I don't want to take sides, but you practically beat that security guard crazy," Allen suddenly brought up.

"Allen! That's a horrible thing to say!" she yells at her co-worker. "And Jin, imagine how you would feel if you just let some stranger tote me off like baggage without trying to stop them! How would you feel?"

How would I feel? The thought never really occurred to me. Even when I learned of her engagement two years ago, the thought of her being taken away from me never crossed my mind. Anger, sadness, regret, would I feel each of these things or all of them? Why, why is that I don't have an answer?

"In all honesty, Shion, I... I don't know," I answer. "I don't know what I'd do."

"Then don't tell me how I should or shouldn't feel when you don't know!" my sister reacted, chugging down another glass.

"God, you're acting the same way you did when Kevin died!"

Wait, what did I just say? No, I didn't mean to say that, I never wanted to say that. His death was always a touchy subject with Shion, and bringing it up like this is too cruel.

The side of my face begins to sting suddenly as it suddenly jolts to the side. I turn my gaze back at my sister now as her hand rests on the air where my face was. Her eyes are narrower than they ever were before, her entire face red with anger, and her other hand balled. What I said was definitely inappropriate and I know I deserved that slap. Still, I...

"How can you say such a thing to me, Jin?!" she screams, tears streaming down her face as rapid as ever. "Elly means a lot to me and I'm worried about her! You don't know what you're talking about you jerk!"

"Shion... I..."

Before I could say another word, she quickly turns away and runs out of the bar. I sit there on my stool now with my hand still reaching out to her, my face still burning from her strike. The pain on my cheek has cooled, but the emotion behind it still pierces my heart.

"Jin, that was a cold thing to say, especially coming from her brother!" Allen tells me disgusted.

I say nothing more and sink deeper into my chair. Even Allen begins to leave the bar now, leaving me sitting alone with my thoughts. The day Kevin died, it was a very difficult day my sister had to live through. She must be living through that day again with Miss KOS-MOS now out of her life. But what she said about how I would feel if someone had taken her away. Why do I continue to keep thinking about that? Is that day coming sooner than I had expected?

(Elly's POV)

Clack, clack, clack! The constant beating of my shoes hitting the floor echoes continuously down the hallways. The sound of more shoes follows in close to pursuit, the sound growing closer and closer with every step I take. All of my muscles in my legs continue to burn as I run, the breath I take into my lungs practically scraping against my throat, and the throbbing of my heart crashes against my chest.

"Don't worry, it's just the 'Drive,'" one voice continues trying to falsely assure me.

Again I try to ignore the voices, but no matter how fast I run and where I turn, they continue to follow. I turn at the next corner I see, hoping to evade the source of the voices once more. It fails to do so as they continue to chase faster than ever, their voices growing even louder.

"The 'Drive' will just readjust your balance and make you feel good."

The voices continue to pressure me, and again I try to deafen them with my own.

"I don't want it!" I tell them for the millionth time. "I, I don't want to use it!"

My words still have no avail. They continue to draw come closer and closer, I can feel their breaths beginning to beat against my back. My feet push even further into the ground now, only to come to a stop a moment later. A dead end, there's no more room to run. I bang my fist against the wall for a moment, my eyes practically melting knowing that I can do no more. The other feet begin to slow down now, their owners now within a few arms reach.

"You think we're going to make an exception because your father's top brass?"

"Please! Go away!" I beg.

They ignore my pleads, instead grabbing me by the arms. One pulls me toward him in a very swift motion, nearly pulling the bone out of its socket. Another pushes me against the wall, pinning my other arm against it so that I can't move. My three captors continue to chuckle as I try my best to escape their grasp but it is to no avail. There is nothing I can do but try to shield my eyes away from these men, shield them from what they're going to do.

"Please! Stop it!" I cry once more. "STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!"

In a flash, I feel the force planted on my arms vanishing. The voices have come to a stop as well, but the question is why. The darkness begins to pull away from my vision slowly, revealing to me a gruesome sight. The silver-metal halls are now painted with random splashes of crimson, the stench of rotting meat now filling the air. I cover my mouth to prevent the contents of my stomach from escaping, and for a second, it allows it to settle. I turn to the floor to find a more gruesome sight; the three men that were chasing me now lie dead. Their mouths are as open as they can be, the holes where their eyes once were now oozing with scarlet. Ruby lakes now rest beneath each of the bodies, all of them flowing from craters where some of their arms or legs used to be. Their faces are horribly disfigured, but the expression of anguish and great pain is still visible on all of them. My knees weaken at the sight, forcing me to fall to the floor. A warm liquid rushes onto my palms now, the red substance tainting the skin underneath my gloves. It's blood, their blood. My lips begin to quiver now as I stare at the elixir of life in my palms, quivering as my eyes begin to burn. My breath begins to hiccup and my nose begins to run, I don't care what the reason is, but I didn't need to kill those men, I didn't need to kill my fellow classmates!

I wake up screaming after seeing that horrific image. My heart beats repeatedly against my chest for a few seconds, each beat growing slower than the last. My entire body feels as if its on fire, yet it cools in a few moments time. I realize that what I had just seen was another dream, but like the one this morning, it felt so real. I try to assure myself that it was just a nightmare, but the feeling of those men chasing after me and their blood on my hands continues to return. Eventually I brush away the last remnants of that dream only to find myself in a room and bed I had never seen before.

'Where am I?' I think to myself.

That's when I remember; this is a cell in the Vector Second R & D Division, I can't remember its exact location though. Before they put me in here, I remember they took me to a laboratory, trying to connect me to different machines. They injected me with something and then everything went black. I'm not sure what they did, but it doesn't look like they injured me in any way seeing how there's not even a scratch on my body.

Before I can recollect any more events, my temple begins to throb once more. I bring my palm to my forehead in an attempt to ease the pain, but it does nothing. A creaking noise follows the headache, the noise coming from somewhere in the room. I turn to the door on the west side of the room to see the nob turning. The beating of my heart begins to throb fast again as my legs begin to shiver. I swallow down the lump in my throat causing the pain to disappear and calming my knees once more. I ball up my hands into fists now, preparing for the imminent threat that waits on the other side. I may not be as strong as I used to, but I can still use Ether.

"Who's there?" I call to the person on the other side of the door.

The door begins to swing open now and a person begins to make their way inside. The one who enters carries a tray in her hands; it has what looks like a sandwich and a glass of water. The person slowly closes the door after setting foot in the cell, closing it very slowly and quietly. It is now that I begin to recognize her. It's the security guard Shion had fought with earlier when they took me away. The wrap my thumb has on my knuckles tightens now upon realizing this, but my anger toward this person begins to fade as she comes closer with the tray. My body begins to loosen now, all the tension eventually disappearing. She stands before me now with the tray still in her hands and she begins to speak.

"I've brought you something to eat," she places the tray on the bed. "I imagine you've got to be hungry by now."

My eyes turn to the food the woman put down. I take a moment to glance at the two slices of bread and the jam smashed between them, but I do not give into the yearnings of my stomach. This woman may be up to something, if she could attack Shion just like that with no hesitation, then...

"The food is fine, we haven't done anything to it," she tries to assure me. "If you don't believe me, I can prove it to you."

She breaks off a small piece of the sandwich and brings it to her mouth. The guard chews it for only a second before swallowing its contents. I wait a few seconds to see if there are any repercussions. There are none, but despite that, I still feel as if this woman is up to something.

"Why are you doing this for me?" I decide to ask.

"Is this how you react to everyone you meet?" the woman dodges my question with one of her own. "Or is it just to me? I assumed you'd have been hungry, sitting in this cell. That's why I brought you food, now please, eat."

I take up on the woman's offer and take the sandwich into my mouth. The mashed fruit is rather bitter and the bread dry. Regardless, it does calm the grumbling of my stomach. I take the glass of water after and proceed to drink it, but I notice that the guard is watching me closely. Having her observe me like this makes me feel uneasy, so I speak to her once more.

"Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing," she answers. "It's just that you really are acting more and more like her everyday it seems."

"More like her, what are you talking about?"

"Ms. Hawwa, it looks like most of the guards are gone now," another individual suddenly appears at the door of my cell.

"Miyuki?" I recognize the young woman almost immediately.

"Alright, we'll proceed as planned," the security guard nods. "Elly, come with me. We're going to go to the A.G.W.S hangar."

"The A.G.W.S. hangar?" her order leave me confused. "Wait a minute, what are you going to do with me this time?" I ask only to have her run ahead. "Hey don't ignore me, I'm talking to you!"

I follow the woman outside of the cell where she and Miyuki wait. The guard rushes to the east as soon as she sees me, stopping at the corner at the end of the hall. She leans down its side for a mere moment, quickly bringing her head back after. Miyuki then quietly proceeds to the woman's location and I follow close behind, checking behind my shoulder ever once and a while in case anyone else comes.

"Miyuki, what are you doing here?" I ask in barely a whisper.

"I saw you and Shion come in here earlier," she answers. "I tried to say hi but the elevator doors closed before you could even see me. Then later I saw Shion running out of the building crying, so I thought something must be wrong. When I learned you were here, I..."

"I see," I interrupt her, "then what about this woman? Why's she helping us out?"

"You mean you don't know Ms. Hawwa?" Miyuki says, surprised. "The funny thing is, this was her idea."

"Her idea?"

"Sh! Be quiet!" Ms. Hawwa orders us.

I step in front of her so that I may take a look at the other side of the corner. Three security guards stand there, all of them with their backs currently turned toward our location. One of them begins to turn now and I quickly return to the other side, flattening myself against the wall.

"There's at least three of them," Ms. Hawwa says. "Elly, Miyuki, I want you to wait here."

Ms. Hawwa reaches for the two tonfa on her belt now, spinning them along her wrists after drawing them. She begins to creep away from our side of the wall, allowing me to take her spot. Two of the guards have left now, leaving one with his back turned toward us. Ms. Hawwa taps the guard on the shoulder with one of her nightsticks, striking him in the face with the other the moment he turns around. The man makes a grunting noise upon being struck by the weapon, but he falls unconscious shortly after the hit. The other two guards appear from the next corner now, their tonfa also drawn. Ms. Hawwa twirls her weapons once more, stopping them by bending her arms in a forty-five degree angle. One guard jumps forward with his weapon, only to have it stopped by the tonfa on Ms. Hawwa's left arm. She quickly launches her knee upward after, striking the man in the chin. She extends her leg after the knee attack, swinging it to the west and knocking him in the side of the face. Another swing of her leg follows, striking him on the other side, and then a final one, this one striking him upward on the chin. This one also falls unconscious, leaving the other guard shaking in place. Ms. Hawwa approaches the other guard now, but he makes no attempt to move at all. With a quick swing of the weapon on her right hand, she plants the weapon on the temple of the guard, knocking him out as well.

"You didn't have to do that," I try to point out afterward, "we could have just tried to sneak past them."

"If we had waited to sneak past each, it'd have been much slower," she explains. "Going through them directly will give us much more time."

"It's not that, more guards might come later and..."

"Let's move on," she ignores the next words I have to say.

We continue down the hall until we find ourselves in a giant hangar. Several different A.G.W.S. units, many of which weren't even registered in my data banks, stand here. Despite that, much of the space in this area is empty; I'm surprised that there aren't any guards stationed here.

"I guess we're almost home free then, huh?" Miyuki asks.

Ms. Hawwa doesn't say single word, instead walking to one of the consoles near one of the A.G.W.S. units. This particular unit is different from the rest though, it's much larger than an average A.G.W.S., and the design itself is also unique. The entire machine as a sleek and smooth design, not a sharp point anywhere like most A.G.W.S. There are two wing-like structures on the back too, and the cockpit looks like it can fit up to two people.

I turn back to Ms. Hawwa who begins to punch in a code into the console system. A humming noise begins to emit from the machine shortly after and at the same time a ladder to the cockpit appears.

"Take it," Ms. Hawwa suddenly orders the two of us. "The E.S. Dinah is yours."

"Before that, there's some things I want to ask you, Ms. Hawwa," I address the woman. "Why are you doing all this for me? I can understand Miyuki, but why you? How is that you know my name, and who exactly are you?"

The woman's eyes turn to the floor for a moment, and she says nothing. Finally she looks back up to me and speaks.

"I've caused enough trouble in the past that this is a way for me to help make up for it," she says.

"The past, what're you...?"

"It's time that I go," Ms. Hawwa turns away again. "I have other things that I must attend to. You have many questions, but now is not the time to answer them. When we meet again, you'll get your answers, Elly."

Without saying another word, the mysterious woman walks out the same way we entered the hangar. It's strange, Miyuki said that it was Ms. Hawwa's idea to rescue me, but I have no recollection of ever meeting her. Still, there's something about her that I admit feels so familiar, something I felt not too long ago. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the closest word that can describe this emotion is nostalgia.

"Hey KOS-MOS, are you all right?" Miyuki's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," I apologize.

She looks at me strangely after what I had just said. She simply shrugs after a few moments and begins to climb the ladder into the A.G.W.S. unit. I guess it must've been my response to my question, she must be used to having me say something like "all systems are normal."

I follow her into the cockpit shortly and take the main pilot seat in the front. The door slowly closes on the machine after and the lights within the control panel turn on shortly. The main screen shortly follows and I proceed to move the A.G.W.S. toward the hangar door.

"Miyuki, do you know the code to open the hangar door?" I ask.

"One moment, I'll type it."

The doors open shortly after. The city lights greet us the moment after; though they aren't entirely bright, they still allow our machine to be visible to the naked eye. I begin to think that taking this A.G.W.S. was a bad idea now, seeing how its size is bigger than other A.G.W.S. I bang my fist against the controls after realizing this, there's no way we can escape using this machine, and going back inside the building would be a bad idea after what Ms. Hawwa did to those other guards. Miyuki and I would probably be blamed for that if we were caught.

"You know, this new model is different from the others," Miyuki points out.

"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to hold back my frustration.

"You see that lever next to the control stick, pull it down."

Shrugging my shoulders, I decide to comply. The entire unit begins to tremble suddenly, the cockpit slowly lowering to the ground until the shaking stops.

"And what was the point of that, Miyuki?" I ask in a sarcastic tone.

She gives me another weird look after what I had said. She must really be used to me not acting like this. After a few seconds of giving me that weird expression, she finally explains.

"The E.S. Dinah has two forms," she says, "the usual A.G.W.S. form, and an aircraft form. In other words, this new A.G.W.S. is a transformable fighter jet. That lever you pulled alternates between the two different forms."

"I see," I nod, "I suppose this form won't attract much attention then."

Without wasting another second, I pull down on the control stick and the entire machine begins to rumble once more. Slowly but surely the shaking stops as the city lights grow smaller and smaller on the main screen. With the city now barely visible on the main screen, I decide it's time to go back to Shion's.

There's something that keeps bothering me though. During our escape, we had only encountered three guards, none of which were in the A.G.W.S. hangar. There was also the fact that there weren't any guards outside either. Vector is full of industrial secrets so it doesn't make sense why the security was so lax. Something's just not right about all of this, it's almost as if they wanted me to escape and take this prototype. Still, I shouldn't think about it too much, I have to return to Shion.

(Wilhelm's POV)

The stars shine as brightly as ever. Since the beginning of time, Man has always looked to the stars for answers and inspiration. All I see however is darkness. The stars are merely tools to distract our eyes from the ever-growing darkness, tools that try to hide away the inevitable.

"Master Wilhelm," my thoughts are interrupted by subordinate who dresses in red. "KOS-MOS and Miyuki Itsumi have just escaped confinement from the Second R & D Division. They have also taken the prototype E.S. Dinah with them, is this acceptable?"

"Yes, that's fine," I tell my subordinate, my eyes still averted toward the eternal darkness. "KOS-MOS, or rather 'Miss Elly,' and Ms. Itsumi have roles to fulfill after all, it's only fair that I allow them to play their part."

"I must also report that the 100-Observational Series Realian Prototype has also linked with the UMN," he adds to his report. "The virus that Albedo had installed within her has been uploaded into their system, and as a result, the gate of Old Miltia has opened."

"Excellent," I turn to my subordinate. "Everyone has fulfilled their roles thus far. Everything is going just as planned according to our Compass of Order. All that's left is to gather the 'final one' before we can retrieve the ark."

XenoMark's Note: Well, I hope this chapter was to your liking, I'm sorry if it wasn't. I guarantee that the next chapter will be better though. As for Elly's nightmare, I'm sure Xenogears fans recognize it, and recognize the true identity of Ms. Hawwa as well. Man, it's been such a hassle to actually finish this chapter, I just hope we can bring out the next one much faster. Well, reviews are welcome as long as their not flames. Again, sorry for the long wait, hope we can get the next one up sooner, later people!

Shi's Note: He's right, the next chapter will be even better! Hopefully, when bro's not busy with his school work and I'm not working, we can get busy on the next chapter for you guys. Until then,see ya.


	3. Regret

XenoMark's Note: This chapter would've come out sooner, but my computer's being stupid again so I had to retype this whole chapter because I had to reformat the whole computer. This chapter is slow at first, but it'll build up as it goes, just be patient with it. I know Xenosaga Episode 2 is out now, but I'm still going to continue with this fic since it's supposed to be an AU of it. So yeah, expect some events and stuff to be a lot different from the actual game, I'm doing it intentionally since I'm kind of disappointed with Xenosaga 2's story so far (I'll get into that later). Well whatever, I just hope this chapter's to your liking in the end, I hope the wait was worth it.

Chapter 3: Regret

* * *

(Jr.'s POV)

"There's no point in any of this, don't you see, Rubedo?"

It was a familiar scene, one that was played over and over again back then. We were always bickering; it was always about his whining, about him being so weak.

"What are you talking about, just what is so pointless in all of this!" I would always ask in a harsh tone. "We were built for this purpose, it's the reason for our very existence!"

"Even if we were to destroy U-DO, what then? Yuriev would have no more use for us, he would simply abandon us all or put us in some sort of military unit. Aren't you tired of fighting, Rubedo?"

I was always so simple-minded back then, always wanting to stick to my orders no matter what. A life outside the military never existed in my mind back then, the only thing I really knew about was war. I knew though that I was beginning to learn more as time passed, namely because I spent it with her.

"I have my reasons for continuing," was all I could say.

"I see, it's because of her, isn't it!" his tone becoming angrier. "Do you really think she sees us as more than war machines, Rubedo? That's all the other people think when they see us. All they see us as are tools such as guns, tanks, or cannons, they don't see us as equals."

"You shouldn't care what others think," I responded.

"You're nothing but a hypocrite!" Albedo retorted. "I know how you think about Sakura, how you think about Mizrahi's brain-dead girl. Tell me, what is it about her that makes you think of her so? Is it the hope that one day she'll break out of her current state, or do you await for the day the darkness will eventually come to her thoughts, taking her away from this world forever!"

My fist launched forward immediately after hearing those words; my knuckles grazing past his cheek and sending him to the ground. I remember the feel of my nails burying themselves into my palms after that punch, how they were practically breaking the skin. I felt so much anger, so much that I wasn't satisfied after that single attack. Albedo quickly returned the favor with a blow of his own however, his body suddenly launching forward and shoving me to the ground. His own fists met with my face then, each hand striking both sides of my face once. My temple broke the chain as I brought it to his nose, allowing me to once again resume my onslaught. My fingers wrapped around his neck after and I began to raise my fist once more, but suddenly the fight came to a sudden halt.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

It was a voice we all knew to well; it was our creator, our "father," Dimitri Yuriev.

"Rubedo, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Yuriev lectured to me. "As leader of the U.R.T.V.'s, you shouldn't allow words to get the best of you like that."

"But sir, I..."

"I don't want to hear it, Rubedo! You're supposed to be leader of the U.R.T.V. units, are you not? If so, then act as such, you shouldn't rely on such childish squabbles to resolve your issues with Albedo!"

"I understand, sir, but..."

"Don't you dare talk back to me, Rubedo! You're acting like such a child! Go to my office, I want to talk with you some more."

"Yes sir..."

As I was following Yuriev, I couldn't help but look back to Albedo, who was lying on the floor practically in tears. Several girls began to approach him now, each of whom I knew. White hair, navy blue clothing, they were the Kirschwassers. Each of them began to help him return to his feet, slowly pulling him off the floor. I remember seeing how they ran their fingers against his skin, how they continually asked him over and over again if he was okay. Just seeing this made my anger return once more, but this time I kept in check. I was jealous of the attention he was getting back then, even after all these years, I still act like a kid. Maybe it was because of that that I reacted how I did earlier.

That cyborg, why does MOMO care about him so much? All he seems to care about is his mission, yet she clings onto him so dearly. I thought it would be me she would ask first to dance with her on her birthday, but instead she went to him. Then earlier this morning she tried defending him, and just a few minutes ago, she...

"Please, stay with me, Ziggy," her words continue to echo in my mind.

When she woke up after linking with the U.M.N., MOMO was sent to the local hospital. I stayed by her bed for hours, the cyborg was nowhere to be found. I thought I would take a walk for a while, but by the time I got back, she was up again, and that cyborg was there, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. That's when she said it, when she said, "Please, stay with me." I ran after that, not wanting to go back and face the events that were going on. Why! Why does she choose that cyborg over me! I don't get it, I just don't see why...

Who am I kidding, I don't just act like a kid, I still am one. I'll never grow up at this rate. MOMO, I guess I can just let her do what she wants with Ziggy, but still, I have a promise to fulfill.

"Please, Rubedo... Take care... Take care of my sister..."

Sakura, I promised you that I would take care of MOMO after you died, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep that promise. Looking at her, I see your face once more, and seeing her in the arms of another, I feel so... So... So heartbroken...

* * *

(Shion's POV) 

The wind brushes against my face once again, my hair caught in its embrace. A small push pulls me back from which I came, but a second later, I find myself moving forward once more. The familiar squeaking of the swing is common for me, there hasn't been one day in which I felt the breeze pushing me forward and back so freely. My own voice accompanies the sound of the swing's chain, a simple hum with a simple melody. The sky is as bright as it's always been; everything is just perfect.

At least I'd like to think so. Black clouds begin to paint over the cerulean sky, just as another breeze begins to blow against my body. The swing comes to a stop now, the sky growing as dark as a raven's feather. It begins to rumble and it grows cold; the wind begins to pick up again, but this time in a fierce gust. I find myself getting off the swing now just as the breeze becomes more violent, so violent that it nearly pushes me to the floor. Drops of water begin to fall from the dark clouds, the sprinkles piercing me like needles with every tiny splash. A bright flash crosses against the sky, roaring loudly in my ears as it does so. I can't help but scream as I hear the thunder, my body cowering into a ball and my legs shivering. In the blink of an eye I no longer find myself in the park, but in another familiar scene, one in which I never wanted to see again.

"Mommy, Daddy, what's going?"

"Sh! Be quiet, Shion!" my mother quickly hushes me.

"Hurry, this way!" my father orders.

I find myself now being carried across a dark hallway, thunder and lightning once again crashing amidst the background. There is another sound being heard below the clashing elements, one that's difficult to distinguish. It sounds like something scratching against concrete, along with the sound of deep breathing. Screams follow shortly after these noises, and the previous sounds grow louder. The stench of rotting meat begins to pollute the air, my parents now picking up the pace as they run. We run for so long, the scenery that we pass never changing; broken windows and doors, litter strewn across the floor, it's the same sight wherever we turn until now. There is nowhere else to run, the hallway finally coming to an end; we have reached a dead end. I look to my mother who holds me, her wrap around me growing tight as tears begin to flow down her cheeks. My father's eyes constantly turn left and right over and over again as he looks for an alternative. The sounds and the smells grow closer and finally he makes a decision. He opens the nearest door and orders us all inside, quickly shutting it after.

"Mr. and Mrs. Uzuki, thank god you're still...," my mother's nurse tries to speak, only to be silenced by my father.

"Febronia, they're heading this way!" my father explains. "Isn't there a way out of...?"

Before my father can finish, the door from which we entered begins to bang suddenly. The stench and the breaths are as close as ever now, each growing stronger with ever strike against the door. My mother's arms practically crush me now as he hold is as tight as ever, the perspiration on her brow quickly dropping onto mine. The wind and rain from outside rages further, each drop of rain striking against the building like stone. The clouds continue to roar, silencing the sound of the creatures from outside for a second, only to reveal their incomprehensible moans after.

I find my eyes unable to blink as I watch the shut door begin to burst further. I feel as if my heart is about to explode like that door, I know that those things will come in any second now. I am unable to control the tears that run down my face, each one accelerating faster than the last. My teeth are chattering, my body paralyzed, this has to be the end.

"This way!" Febronia suddenly orders us, pointing to the ventilation shaft on the other side of the room.

"Will we all fit?" my mother asks.

"Only one at a time I'm afraid," Febronia answers.

"All right, Shion, you go first," my father orders.

"But...!"

"Don't worry, we'll follow as soon as we can, so please...!" my mother begs.

The door to the room begins to break now, the top hinge falling to the floor. My mother plants her lips on my forehead once more and then puts me into the vent feet first. Just as I push my entire body inside, the rest of the door falls. The vent's cover quickly shuts after but the slits between the bars still reveal to me everything that happens after. Several human-shaped beings stand in the hallway, their skin as gray as stone, and holes where their eyes are supposed to be. Their teeth are pointed like triangles, each of them with a slab of meat peeling down their gums. In the blink of an eye they jump forward, at least three going for each of my parents. My mother is the first to fall, her voice crying over the thunder and lightning from outside. The unknown beings' teeth pull and pry at her continuously, chunks of her body missing in seconds. Skin is torn like fabric, the crimson elixir of life darkening their already scarlet teeth, and string-like devices being removed from her like flower petals. My stomach immediately grows queasy at the sight, I'm barely able to keep its contents from escaping from my mouth. The beating of my heart is as rapid as ever and my entire body shaking like crazy. I try to avert my eyes elsewhere in the room, only to find my father also in the same position. His cries join my mother's as the beings chew at him, forcing me to finally shut my eyes. Though I force myself to look into darkness, my ears still both of their cries, as well as the cries of Febronia. Slowly the screams of pain diminish, but the sound of teeth tearing at flesh is still there.

The sound finally comes to a halt and I open my eyes once more, finding myself in another familiar location. I find several guns now pointed before my eyes, along with two men holding me back. My eyes trace around the room to find several of my fellow co-workers in the same predicament, all of them being held hostage by the same men in purple uniforms and face masks.

"This facility is now under the control of the U-TIC Organization," one of the soldiers speaks. "Any resistance whatsoever will be met with deadly force. As long as you follow our orders you will not be harmed. We appreciate your cooperation."

That same soldier now removes a device from his pocket, one that no one outside of this project should have. I turn to the maintenance bed in the center of the room and find steam escaping the device as the top half begins to open. I try to escape my captors' hold but to no avail as I scream her name.

"KOS-MOS!"

My daughter awakens at that very moment as her right hand takes hold of the edge of her chamber. She begins to pull herself up, but suddenly her entire body jerks inward. Her head begins to swerve counter-clockwise, swerving in a full one hundred-eighty degrees. Her eyes then lock on the closest individual close to her, a U-TIC soldier, and without warning she springs forward. Everything virtually becomes a blur now as the dark color of red is continually splashed across the room. Again the sound of thunder and lightning rage on outside, each crash blocking the sound of gun fire and screams for an instant. Everyone begins to run now and I find myself now free from my captors. My legs begin to push against the ground as fast as they can, pushing me toward the exit. I don't get very far however as my foot is caught on my other ankle, sending me to the floor in an instant. As I try to push myself back to my feet, I find myself staring into the eyes of the one responsible for the onslaught, the one I dedicated my life to.

"KOS-MOS...? Miang...?" her name barely escapes my lips.

Her monotone face gives me no response, it is her hand that does. Slowly the fingers curl into a ball, as if they were crushing something, her thumb locking the fingers in place. Her arm launches forward suddenly and I brace myself for the impact. The blow never comes, though I still hear the sound of metal striking flesh. Another strike follows and again I feel nothing. My eyes then open to find another standing before me, his arms spread open but his legs beginning to stagger. Something begins to protrude from his back now, it is in the form of fingers. Scarlet ooze begins to leak from the newly formed crater in my protector's back, several drops of that substance splashing onto the lenses of my glasses. The fingers pry themselves away from him in an instant, sending my guardian's body to the floor.

"KEVIN!" I scream his name.

I wrap my arms around him at this very instant, bringing his palm to my cheek. I wait for the usual caress he gives me with the stroke of his hand, but it instead falls to his side. My eyes begin to burn as his body grows cold, my throat parched, and my being torn. I begin to shut my eyes to prevent the floods from falling further, but they still manage to barely seep through the slits that cover them. I begin to open my eyes, only to find a different event unfolding before me.

"Let me go!" my lover orders the men that restrain her. "Shion!"

"Elly!" I try to chase after her. "Stop it! I can't let you take Elly away from me!"

"Restrain yourself, Ms. Uzuki, otherwise I will be forced to take action," the one standing before me orders. "I don't want any harm to come to you, so please..."

Without thinking, I quickly bring my knee upward, striking the guard in the rib cage. The force of the blow makes the woman hunch forward, and giving me the opportunity to continue my chase. After several steps however, I suddenly find myself being pulled as if something were trapped my hair. I succumb to the grab the security had somehow laid upon me, and so, I return to the source for a moment. Instead of surrendering to the guard and Sir Wilhelm would expect, I bring my elbow back, the joint striking the lip of my captor. My entire body turns around after, my left leg leading the way as the side of my foot meets with the torso of the woman. Her fingers finally release their hold on my hair and again I hurry to my angel's rescue.

"Elly!"

Before I could take another step however, the woman I thought I had just taken care of suddenly appears before my path once more. My fist is the first come forward this time, but before it could find its intended target, the crook of her arm blocks its path, blocking my attack. Before I could do anything else, a force is suddenly exerted on my abdomen and the air flowing against my body.

"SHION!" I hear my lover scream.

I begin to push myself up now, the pain in my stomach intensifying as I do so. I finally manage to at least get my head to look in the direction where I fell and I find the woman standing several feet away from me, with her arm still stretched forward. I try to push myself off the ground again, but I find all of my energy suddenly drained thanks to that punch that woman dealt me.

"Chief, are you all right!" Allen rushes to my aid.

"Why you...!" I look to my brother who begins to draw his sword.

"Don't try it!" the security now reaches for the pistol on her belt.

"That will be enough, Ms. Hawwa, Ms. Uzuki," Sir Wilhelm orders.

"No, I won't let you...!"

"Ms. Uzuki, whether you like it or not, we are taking custody of KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1 as of this moment," the CEO begins to turn away. "Further more, because of your inability to follow orders and neglecting to report to HQ three days after your arrival on Second Miltia, I'm afraid to inform you that you are suspended from Vector Industries for six months without pay. Further more, if you are somehow able to violate your suspension, I will have you and your brother arrested for assault in your attempt to defy my orders. Mr. Ridgeley, if you even attempt to help Ms. Uzuki violate her suspension, I will have you charged with criminal assistance."

"Wait, I didn't do anything wrong, I would never...," Allen tries to object.

"You can charge me with anything, just return Elly to me now!" I order.

"Shion please, that's enough," my brother tries to calm me down.

"But Jin...!"

"Shion, forget about me for now," I look over to my lover, "we...we'll be back together soon enough, so please..."

"Elly..."

"Ms. Hawwa, if Ms. Uzuki, her brother, or Mr. Ridgeley give you any more trouble on their way out, please feel free to kill them if necessary," Sir Wilhelm orders as he takes his leave.

"Come on!" the other two guards order my blue-haired angel as they follow the CEO.

"Elly, no! ELLY!"

I find my entire self pushing forward now, my breathing rapid and my entire body drenched in perspiration. Seconds pass and I begin to calm down. The freezing air feels as if it's freezing the sweat on my body, though my body itself feels as if its being pressed into the bed. My heart is beating faster than a hummingbird's wings, the cold air I breath in slowly lightens the weight of my lungs. I wipe away the icy liquid from my brow and begin to settle into my bed once more, trying to forget the events I had just seen.

"...just a dream," I assure myself as I realize that I'm sitting in my own room.

Was it a dream? No, it was more like memories of the past, things I wish were only dreams. No matter how hard I try to forget, the events always manage to return somehow, and when they do return, it brings back those very same emotions I felt back then.

The sound of rain falling can be heard from outside and I brace myself for the crashes. There are none, just the sound of the water falling. The absence of thunder does little to bring me relief as I remember the most recent part of my dream, remembering how I couldn't do anything to save her. Again, just like that, my blue-haired angel has been stripped from my arms.

I return my face to my tear-drenched pillow, the corners of the cotton cube ridden with the prints of my fingers. The tears and sobbing pick up where they left off, the substance that was shed being absorbed into my pillow once again. The cotton material is barely able to muffle my cries, nor does its surface bring comfort to my face. Lying here like this, I can't help but look back on my life, the life I barely look back on.

My life has always been full of sorrow; everyone I grow close to is always taken from me. My parents were the first to be taken from me, taken away by those creatures fourteen years ago. Then it was Kevin's turn, taken from me by our first daughter, Miang. I thought that maybe I would never have to feel these things again when Elly came into my life, and yet, just like my parents and Kevin, she too was taken away from me. There has always someone to take away this pain whenever the people that were dear to me were taken away, but this time, I don't think there is anyone who can do that. Mother, Father, Kevin, Elly, all of these people, all so dear to me, all taken away in an instant, how can I smile now after I've lost so many! Come back to me, please! Call my name like you always do, tell me that you love me, please, tell me that everything will be okay! Say something, anything because I... I... I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE!

"Shion..."

Is it an illusion I hear, the beginning of my sanity's end? My tear-ridden eyes begin to leave the pillow now, slowly turning to the image of the blue-haired angel who stands outside my door. My eyes blink, and she continues to stand there. Her feet begin to move her forward now, her cerulean eyes becoming more clear. It is not an illusion, I realize, this is reality, this truly is...

"Elly?" I call her name.

"Shion!" I find her arms wrapping around me.

For a moment I sit there, my body paralyzed from the shock that my blue-haired angel has returned to me safely. I find her cheek beginning to nestle with mine, the rivers of my tears beginning to dry with the feel of her face. Slowly feeling returns to my body; the warmth of her touch begins to soothe my nerves, the smell of her hair and the sound of her breathing make my lips curl. My arms begin to wrap around her waist now, wrapping tight enough that no one can free her from my grasp. The sound of the rain no longer bothers me, my attention is now fully on her. The press of her body is enough to warm me, enough to console me. Again I feel safe, feel relieved that she is once again with me.

"I'm sorry, Elly," I find myself apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing, Shion?" she asks. "You have nothing to apologize for. I left on my own accord, but in doing so..."

"Whoops, I'm sorry," a figure in the doorway interrupts, "I didn't mean to barge in."

"Miyuki, you did this?" I ask.

"Yeah, I did what I could," she answers.

"Thank you so much," I tell her as I wipe away the remaining tears, "you don't know how much this means to me."

"It's no problem," she assures me. "I guess I'll leave you two be for now," she says as she shuts the door.

"Are you all right?" I ask my lover as soon as Miyuki leaves.

"I'm okay," she nods, "but what about you? I made you worry again, didn't I?"

"Don't worry about me," I tell her. "As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."

A soft smile stretches across her lips now and her arms wrap around me tighter. Her cheek begins to nestle against my heart and one hand falls onto my shoulder. I begin to lie back so that I may cushion her body, pulling the sheets over us to free her from the cold. She looks up at me once again and I reply with a smile. My angel pushes her lips toward mine afterward, warming my body further with her kiss. She returns to her previous spot on my body after, the smile on her face now replaced with a look of concern. This look slowly melts my smile away, but it does not do enough to remove the relief that she is safe.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"...I just disobeyed orders from HQ...," she says in a serious tone. "There's no way that they'll let either of us get off easy on this."

"Elly, I can just take the blame for..."

"No you can't!" she quickly interrupts. "I mean, even if you were to take the entire blame, what will I do? I can't picture my life without you, Shion, I don't know what I'd do. I know you can't do the same if the situation was reversed, so..."

What are we going to do? At some point I know Vector will come here and try and take Elly away again. Returning her to them is definitely not an option for me, I don't care what Jin or Allen say. Perhaps we can leave this place? If we were to leave, where would we go? We could simply drift from place-to-place, but it would dangerous to live in Federation-based territory, but we can always try anti-Federation Space. Come to think of it, it's a long way from anti-Federation Space, but... No, that's the only choice we have if we're going to stay together. Yes, I've decided, we have to leave, our chances of reaching our destination might not be good and there aren't any legal means to reach anti-Federation Space, but we have to at least try.

"I'm sorry, Shion, but the safest thing we can do to stay together is make our way into anti-Federation Space," Elly suddenly speaks my own thoughts. "What's so funny?" she asks as I break into a small fit of laughter. "Was it something I said, or is it because you don't have any intention to go with me?"

"It's not that," I assure her, "I was actually thinking the same thing."

"Are you sure you're willing to go through with it?" she asks. "What about your life here? What about Jin?"

"I don't care about any of that anymore," I tell her, my fingers running down her face. "I lost my job, I have no real friends here, and Jin doesn't seem to care about what happens to me. I've never had a life here, Elly, can't you see that? You're my life, there is nothing else in the world that matters to me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, and yet, I'm happy how you feel about me," she says as she nestles in her spot again. "Thank you, Shion. Thank you for wanting to be with me..."

Her eyes begin to close now and her breath grows slow. A smile is once again stretched on her lips as she lays there, resting so peacefully. As I look at her sleeping so quietly, I can't help but remember when I first created her. I never knew back then that a being of my own creation would be able to give me so much happiness, more than Kevin or parents had ever given me. She may have been created to be the savior of Mankind, but to me, she is the woman I love, the woman I love for simply being who she is.

I begin to stroke the strands of hair away from her face, the silky feel of the cerulean strands starts to put me to sleep. Yes, tomorrow I will say goodbye to this life, and at the same time, I will say hello to what will hopefully be eternity with my blue-haired...

A bright light suddenly flashes from outside, along with the crashing of the storm. The noise makes me jump for a second, forcing my body to curl as best as it can with my lover over my heart. I find my entire self shivering once more, no longer from the weather, but from fear. Another crash follows, my head unwillingly bending down as a result. My eyes turn to the mirror on the other side of the room and I find another flash. The white light reveals the outside for a mere second, but along with what looked like a person. I begin to pay attention to where the person had stood, finding them once more standing outside my window. Before I can see the face of this mysterious visitor, they jump away, their form already vanished with the next crash of lightning.

"Mother...," I turn to my angel who mumbles in her sleep, "...I'm sorry..."

* * *

(Jin's POV) 

My sister must still be upset with me, and who can blame her. I've never pondered on words or actions for this long until now; her anger and sadness, I had no right to return those locked away memories and emotions like that.

"Jin, are you all right?" a voice returns me to reality.

"Yes, I'm fine, Miss Yui," I try to give her my best smile.

Helping out at the orphanage usually helps bring a smile to my face, but not this time. I tried my best not to depress the children as I read them their stories and tucked them in, but my eyes seem to tell a different story than the rest of my face.

"What's wrong, Jin?" Miss Yui asks as she takes the seat across from me.

"...it's nothing," I answer, my fake smile still worn on my face.

"I know that look," she sighs, "you always had it whenever we had a big mission back then. You're worried about something, aren't you?"

"You still remember that day when we were still in the military, huh?" I try to dodge the question.

"Don't change the subject," she tells me with a serious expression on her face. "Come on, Jin, what's bothering you? And don't tell me 'it's just the weather.'"

"...I don't want to talk about it," I find myself unable to keep my smile any longer.

"You're worried about your sister, aren't you?" she asks. "It's always been like that ever since she joined Vector. What happened? Is she being transferred again?"

"Miss Yui, what would you do if someone you cared deeply about was suddenly taken away from your life?" I ask. "How would you feel?"

"Well... I'd obviously feel very sad, and maybe a bit angry, but I'd do my best to get that person back. Why do you ask? Does this have something to do with Shion?"

"...forget about it," I begin to push myself away from the table. "I think I'll go home early tonight. Can you clean up in my place tonight, please?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I hope things work out for you and your sister."

"Thank you," I say as I being to take my leave from the orphanage.

I try to exit through the living room, only to find one child still awake, his eyes glued to the television set. Laughter escapes his lips constantly, finding amusement in the cartoon cat and mouse who continuously try to kill each other.

"Abel, it's rather late," I take a seat next to the child, "shouldn't you be in bed?"

"But Mr. Jin, I'm not tired!" he begins to whine. "Can't I just stay up just this once?"

Those eyes, those same puppy dog eyes, I was always weak to that look when she was younger. The way she would always beg me to get something for her, I always liked it how my sister would ask me to do things for her. Abel reminds me of her when she was young, and so...

"Come on, Abel, you need to sleep," Miss Yui enters the room.

"Let him stay up," I tell her.

"Really?" Abel says, his eyes lighting up with my words.

"But just for tonight, Abel," I tell the boy.

"Wow, thanks Mr. Jin!"

"Will you be all right going home in this storm?" Miss Yui asks as I open the exit.

"I'll be all right," I assure her. "Oh, and Miss Yui, please take good care of the children. Good night."

The cold water travels down my entire body in a rapid pace, the moment one drop falls off my clothing, an entire flood pours onto my head. My feet constantly find themselves stepping into tiny lakes created by the holes in the pavement, the water soaking through the material in my clothing. I make no effort to hurry home, I don't have any right to do that.

"Well... I'd obviously feel very sad, and maybe a bit angry, but I'd do my best to get that person back. Why do you ask? Does this have something to do with Shion?" Miss Yui's words echo through my mind once more.

'It has everything to do with Shion,' I think to myself.

Would I feel how Miss Yui would if Shion were taken away? I don't know, ever since she got that job at Vector, she's become so distant to me. When she was younger, she would tell me everything about her day, always smiling as she told me, now I'm lucky enough if she'll even visit me for a day within a two year period. I must admit, I don't like how things are right now between me and her; the fights, the non-existent conversations, everything that's going on between the two of us right now. Everything I try to do for her suddenly sets her off; I keep trying to assure myself that it's probably due from the stresses she has at work, but every time we argue, I keep telling myself that less and less. This is all 'their' fault things have ended up this way! Mother, Father, I've been a terrible brother. If only I had the strength, if only I had the courage, I would have...

"It's rather unhealthy walking in a storm like this," a familiar voice snaps me back to reality. "Or rather, it's unhealthy walking around without a coat and umbrella."

I look before me now to find a familiar face, one I haven't seen in years. Tanned skin, blue eyes, and blond hair that's almost the color of white. Her entire outfit is black, with the exception of the silver cross and choker on her neck, and her lips painted in a bright crimson lipstick. She begins to walk toward me, umbrella in one hand and the other dangling at her side.

"It's been a while, Jin Uzuki," she speaks.

"Your name is Pellegri, right?" I remember her name. "Why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here," she begins to step past me, our backs now facing each other. "We had an agreement, did we not?"

"...yes," I find my eyes drifting to the pavement once more. "But let me just say that...!"

"You can't fight fate, Mr. Uzuki," she interrupts. "You knew this day would eventually come. Unless you plan on going back on your word."

"I don't, but let me just say that she hasn't had an easy life. The pain that she's endured for the past fourteen years would destroy almost anyone, it's a miracle that she's the way she is right now. Please, whatever you do, I beg that you...!"

"I'm afraid that doesn't change anything, Mr. Uzuki, no matter how hard you plead. Your sister has my pity, but I'm afraid she has a large role in the fate of humanity; you, myself, and my comrades all knew this from the very beginning, along with that woman."

"'That woman?' You don't mean...?"

"You know I'm not after them today, you know that I am here for 'the other.'"

"You can't be serious! The boy is only...!"

"...one year younger than your sister was when your parents died. Surely you've seen some of the phenomena he can create. You saw it earlier today in fact, when you and your comrades visited the orphanage. Imagine what else he can do if that is only a fraction of his power, a minute amount of his true potential. Power like that will only go to waste if he remains with you, Mr. Uzuki, so I'm afraid it time for me to fulfill my duty," she says as she continues walking.

"I can't let you do that just yet!" my hand quickly takes hold of her own. "Please, just give me more time! He's still too young! Don't you see, he hasn't even lived a single day outside of the orphanage since he came to us three years ago! I beg you, don't...!"

"We've already given you fourteen years with your sister, Mr. Uzuki!" Pellegri quickly pulls her hand away from my own. "How much more time do you expect us to give you? Another week? A year? Fourteen more years? We've given you more than enough time. There can be no more delay."

Talking any further will do no good, so I must act now. My hand reaches for the blade on my belt now, each of my fingers tingling with every drop of the icy rain that falls upon me. My breath and body already feel heavy, before I have even made a single move. Pellegri takes a moment to look at me, a blank look painted on her face. After a few seconds of standing, she simply shrugs and continues on her way. That is when I strike, freeing my katana from its oak restraint and slicing the raindrops that fall before it. My feet push with all their might against the water-soaked pavement as my arms fight against the pouring flood so that I may raise my weapon into the air. Her head is within my weapon's reach now, yet she still continues to walk with her back turned toward me. My arms begin to push downward in the same path of the rain and I await for the geyser of crimson that follows.

"What!" I find the sword suddenly stopping before it touches a strand of her hair.

"You dare point your blade at me?" she turns her around, her eyes now narrowed.

A rush of warmth begins to fill my body suddenly and my limbs begin to move without my discretion. The feel of the ground beneath my feet begins to disappear and soon I feel a force pushing my entire body backward. A sharp pain erupts in my entire back as soon as I feel the surface of brick against it, my legs suddenly growing numb and my weapon falling from my hand. My knees stop me from falling all the way to the ground, but the pain is so great that I can't keep my back straight. She begins to approach me once again as I kneel here, I know that the consequences of my actions are going to be heavy.

"This is a fine blade you have," she says as she picks up my sword. "So this is the sword that Margulis has grown to hate so much. Go on, take it back," she holds the blade's handle at me.

My entire body is already aching from the blow she had dealt me, my entire self is paralyzed with the pain right now. I try to move my arm toward my weapon, but it suddenly drops before my finger could grasp it.

"You won't, will you?" she asks. "Then allow me to return it for you!"

Another force is exerted onto my body, this time it's the butt of my sword that meets with my skull. The rest of my body begins to fall to the pavement now as the world around me begins to meld. My body suddenly stops for a second as a hand stops me by holding my shoulder. I see my blade in her other hand, forcing its way toward my side. The blade doesn't cut me however, instead it slides back into its sheath. The colors around me begin to fade now, just as the sound of the rain grows deaf.

"Pleasant dreams, Mr. Uzuki," are the last words I hear before darkness fully engulfs me.

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

She hasn't said a single word after waking up this morning. It's only been an hour since we got up, but she's already wearing that look of concern on her face. I can't help but worry too when she wears this face, I just wish she could tell me what she's worried about. Is it our plan to leave her home that's causing her to feel this way, or is it something else? I don't understand why she's been closing herself off to me since yesterday, and I'm too afraid to ask fearing my questions may hurt her. No, I have to ask her, I have to at least try and help her with whatever is going on with her right now.

"Um, Shion?"

No response. She must be really deep in thought right now. This only makes me worry more. I take another piece of waffle into my mouth now, but I'm unable to enjoy the sweet syrup it's drenched in. I call her name once more after and still get no response. I try one last time, this time lightly tapping her with my finger and finally I get her attention.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Elly," she apologizes, trying her best to give me her usual smile. "Did you want more milk?"

"No thank you, it's just that you've been very quiet," I explain. "What's on your mind?"

"...I'm just a little worried, that's all."

"Worried?"

"Don't worry, I'll be all right once we leave."

"Hey Chief," Miyuki tries to grab her attention. "I don't mean to interrupt you two, but I thought you lived here with your brother."

"Yeah, what did happen to Jin?" Allen joins in the conversation. "I haven't seen him since yesterday at the bar. Do you think he went with the Elsa's crew somewhere?"

"Knowing that idiot he probably spent the night at the orphanage without telling us," Shion scoffs. "He's so immature sometimes, he acts more like a younger brother than an older one, always reading those old books of his and practicing his so-called 'swordplay.' I swear, he can be such a child sometimes. So Elly, does the dress I gave you fit all right?" she tries to change the subject.

"It's fine," I answer as I take my dishes to the sink. "Though the glasses will take some time to get used to."

When we woke up this morning, Shion told me that if we're going to live on the run, it would be best not to wear the uniform Vector and the Federation know me by. Shion allowed me to pick out a uniform from her closet, so I decided to settle on a simple sleeve-less sky blue sun dress with dark blue lining on the straps and stomach area. It's a simple uniform that shouldn't attract any attention, and the skirt is long enough to give my legs free movement as if I were in my old uniform. The glasses however, were of my own choice. My uniform felt more complete with the spectacles, even if the lenses themselves were made of plastic and weren't made to correct vision in anyway. The frame of the glasses is black, with arms on the sides of the circular lenses, they're designed to old-fashioned glasses that were made before the T.C. calendar. Their weight feels a bit odd, but I'm sure I'll get used to them with time.

The others place their dishes in the sink shortly after, leaving me and Shion to clean. There is another awkward silence between me and my lover once more, her eyes fixated on the faucet and her hands scrubbing the sponge against a plate continuously without any sign of stopping. Once more I try to speak, only to be interrupted by a voice coming from the living room.

"Chief, KOS-MOS, you might want to get over here, quick!" Allen calls from the other room, frantically.

Without wasting another second, Shion snaps out of her trance and we hurry to the living room to find Allen and Miyuki with their eyes locked on the TV. I don't understand what all the commotion is about until I see the image the monitor projects. It is the orphanage I visited yesterday, or at least what I think is the orphanage. The roof looks like it's caved in, like something smashed into it. The front door looks as if it was forcefully pried it out of its hinges, the windows all shattered, and random chunks of the structure missing or burnt. Ambulances, police cars, and many other emergency vehicles are parked in front of the remains, each of them with at least three victims of the incident sitting in each one.

"What could have...?" are the only words that can escape Miyuki's lips.

"Oh my God, Jin!" my lover screams.

The screen now shows her brother lying on a stretcher in one of the ambulances. His clothes are tattered, his skin crusted over with blood, and several machines hooked into his body. His eyes slowly open as the camera zooms into his face, the rest of us body quickly shooting upward as he tries to push himself up. Paramedics appear on screen now, trying to pull him back into the stretcher, but he pushes them all away. More paramedics jump on screen now and try to restrain him, but before we could see what else goes on, the camera shifts its view to the reporter.

"Luckily none of the children nor staff were killed in what looks like was a criminal act," reporter explains. "Police found several spots of fuel residue created by what appears to be an old A.M.W.S., but there are no other signs of any other kind of A.M.W.S. or A.G.W.S. being in the vicinity. Survivors of the attack, however, have no recollection of what happened. In addition to the Miltian Government in helping the victims of this accident, Vector Industries, the Federation Government, and the Kukai Foundation have agreed to assist in this matter."

'Vector and the Federation?' I think to myself. '...I see, there's no doubt about it, they're after...'

"Chief, where are you going?" Miyuki's voice quickly returns me to reality.

"Jin's hurt, I have to hurry there, now!" Shion explains before rushing out the door.

"Hey, wait for us!" Allen and Miyuki chase after her.

The entire area surrounding the hospital with all the victims of the orphanage is filled with Federation, Kukai Foundation, and Vector transport ships. It's obvious that there's something else going on here than a simple civilian recovery. Still, the people don't seem to notice for some reason. It's strange though, we've passed by several Vector employees and Federation officers and none of them have tried to stop Shion and me. It isn't like any of these organizations to be this sloppy after a top secret weapon such as myself has escaped a mere eight hours ago.

Eventually we come to the hospital room where Jin is being hospitalized. It is a normal hospital room; plain in color, no paintings of any sort, not even any flowers. The only thing that separates this room from the others is the lack of machinery aside from the heart monitor next to Jin's bed. Jin himself looks totally lifeless with the exception of his chest heaving up and down. His entire body and his temple are entirely wrapped in bandages, some of which are lightly stained with blood.

"Jin...?" my lover slowly makes her way to her brother's side.

She stands there frozen in silence as she takes a moment to observe him, observing all the injuries he had gotten. Slowly she sinks to the seat beside the bed as she takes his fingers into her hand, squeezing them firmly in her hand as she does so. Her voice begins to crack now and her body begins to loosen. I walk to Shion after, placing my hand on her shoulder as a gesture of assurance. She places her own hand on top of mine after, her sinking low as she does so. I know she wants to be alone with him for now and I decide to abide to that wish. I turn to the room's exit to find Allen and Miyuki also leaving. Before leaving, I take one more look at the siblings, watching as Shion rests her head on his chest as she sobs his name. Upon closing the door to the room, I watch as Allen and Miyuki walk to the cafeteria of the hospital. I decide not to leave the doorway in case Shion decides to go at any moment.

Time passes, and neither of the two parties return. My body begins to drift into slumber until a pair of Vector security officers pass me by. As they draw closer and closer, I prepare to draw my blaster which I hide in the garter underneath the skirt of my dress, but the need to draw it never comes. None of the officers recognize me, nor do they give me a second look. I can't help but continue to ponder why no one has made an attempt to arrest me, but then it hits me.

'The "Project" has begun now,' I realize.

The Zohar Project, that is the ultimate goal of the Galaxy Federation and Vector Industries. The reason for why I was created, kept a secret to nearly all those who were responsible in my creation. With the exception of the Original, all the Zohars are in a fixed location, the Kukai Foundation's ship, the Durandal. I wouldn't be surprised if...

"Elly, Elly, you came to see me again!" I find myself removed from my thoughts again by a familiar voice.

"Hello, Abel," I greet the young boy who latches onto my leg. "Are you okay?"

"It was terrible, Elly!" the boy says, hardly able to contain his excitement. "I was just watching TV when all of a sudden the whole house started to come down. Everything suddenly turned off and it was very dark and I couldn't see a thing, and then..."

"I can see that you've been through a lot," I find myself caressing the boy's hair.

"But I'm okay, Miss Yui got everybody outside before the entire house fell apart," Abel tells me.

"Well I'm certainly relieved to hear that," I put on my best smile.

'It's definitely already started,' I think to myself, 'they are after...'

"What's started?" another voice suddenly enters my thoughts.

I stop thinking for a moment and try to keep my thoughts blank. I wait for the voice to say another word, but I get nothing but silence. I begin to ponder now where the voice is coming from, and again, I hear the voice.

"Mother, don't you see? It's me, Mother, it's me!"

'"Mother?"' the word once again confuses me. 'Who are you? Why are you...?'

Before I could finish asking my question, a jolt of pain suddenly erupts in my temple. I find myself nearly falling to the floor from the shock, but like before, it quickly resides. I begin to push myself back to my feet only to find myself falling back to the ground from a sudden shockwave.

"What was that?" I ask myself.

The sound of gunfire follows after my words, the sounds of screams and panic cry after. Civilians begin to rush past my general direction, the crowd nearly knocking me off my feet. The gunshots grow closer, forcing me to free my blaster from the garter on my leg. More civilians brush past me and Abel, but this time, several men in violet uniforms and masks are close behind them. I immediately recognize these men based on the records that were once in my data banks; these men are soldiers of the U-TIC Organization.

"We've located the target," one of the soldiers begins to talk into his radio, "commencing..."

My finger quickly pulls the trigger of my weapon before the man could finish his report. The soldier falls to the ground in an instant, but his comrades quickly take up their arms and begin firing after. Without wasting another second, I push the boy into Jin's room and quickly follow, my blaster firing three more shots before going to the nearest wall's surface for cover.

"Elly, what's going on out there!" is Shion's reaction the moment we enter the room.

"Get away from the windows!" I order.

At that exact moment, part of the glass suddenly shatters and a small metallic device drops inside the room. Before I could react, the device suddenly blows up, releasing a thick cloud of smoke within the vicinity. My lungs are immediately filled with the dark clouds, forcing me to cough constantly and shield my eyes. The moment the smoke begins to clear, I notice the color of dark purple once again coming in view through the smoke. Immediately I point my weapon at our attackers, but they all react by doing the same. All of them are barely a centimeter away from releasing a hail of bullets on us and I prepare for the worst by shielding my eyes once more. The sound of guns fills the air, but I feel none of the bullets' impact. In its place, I hear the sound of bodies falling to the ground and a few grunts. I open my eyes slowly after and find all of the U-TIC soldiers lying on the ground in front of me dead, but another individual standing behind the corpses.

"Jr.?" my lover quickly recognizes the boy.

"Chief, KOS-MOS, thank goodness you're safe!" Allen and Miyuki quickly appear behind the Durandal's captain after.

"I hate to cut things short, but we have to get to the Elsa, now!" Jr. orders.

"But wait, what about all the patients in the hospital?" Shion asks.

"My crew's already helping with the evacuation, you guys are the only ones on this floor. Shion, if you want your brother to make it out of here alive, I'll need you to carry him. Allen, Miyuki, you should help her. KOS-MOS, I need you to help me clear a path for them."

"All right," I nod as I load a new cartridge in my gun.

"Just a second, KOS-MOS," Miyuki stops me.

"What is it?"

"I want you to take this," she hands me a blue four-foot rod. "It's my latest invention. It's a short staff made of titanium alloy, folded ten thousand times over."

"I don't see how a stick is going to help me...," I take the weapon into my hands.

I take a moment to look at the weapon, looking at its sleek and smooth surface. I spin it between my fingers for a few seconds so that I may get a feel for the weapon. I stop the moment I feel some sort of small button protruding out of the device. My thumb presses down on it and part of the staff suddenly shoots upward.

"It's also a short single-edged sword if you press that button," Miyuki points out. "The blade itself works just like your F-SCYTHE but the material is definitely stronger. The blade uses the wielder's ether ability to determine the sharpness of the blade, just like the F-SCYTHE, but it also contains a logic drive just like the M.W.S."

"I guess it will have some use after all," I return the blade to its sheath.

More gunfire follows shortly after, this time its Jr. who initiates the first shots.

"Shion, get Jin and the others out of here now! KOS-MOS, go with them, I'll catch up with you guys later," Jr. orders as he heads out the door.

Without a second to think, we begin to follow those orders, running in the opposite direction of Jr. I allow Shion and the others to go first, giving me an opportunity to cover the rear. We run down halfway through the main corridor, but then I realize that one person is missing.

"Wait!" I stop the moment I notice. "Where's Abel?"

At that exact moment, I hear a scream coming from the room we had just left. I turn around and find several U-TIC soldiers walking in with their guns drawn. My feet begin to push against the floor with all my strength now, each foot pushing harder as Abel's cries grow louder and louder. Without even waiting to see if I have an accurate shot, I quickly open fire on the soldiers, two of the eight shots striking one soldier. The rest of the men quickly turn to face me now, but I am already within my new weapon's reach to strike them. I free my blaster from my hand at the moment, letting the weapon simply fall to the floor so that I may remove my blade from its sheath. The initial swing to draw opens a crater in two of the soldiers, a geyser of crimson escaping from each of these newly made gashes. The remaining soldier tries to fire his weapon after, but the sheath of my sword quickly knocks the rifle out of his hands. With the enemy now weaponless, I strike once more with my sword, swinging it in a diagonal fashion upward to the left. Like the others, he quickly falls, his entire body limp upon meeting the floor. I take a moment to sheath my sword after and pick my gun off the floor. I then turn to the corner of the room and find Abel sitting there, his legs huddled together and his body shivering.

"Abel, are you all right? Abel?"

"E... Elly...?" the boy stutters my name.

"Come on, we have to catch up with the others," I try to take the boy's hand into mine, only to have it pulled away.

"I can't!" is the boy's reaction.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"There's more of those bad men out there, aren't there?" the boy begins to bury his head into his knees. "I don't want to go out there with all of them outside."

"Abel, I don't have time for this. If we don't go out there, more of those men are going to come in here and try and catch you, so come on!"

My response only makes Abel curl further into a ball. He begins to sob continuously, his breathing deep and his cries loud. I find myself beginning to lose my patience, but for some reason a part of me tells me not to just drag the boy out of here in this condition. Taking in a deep breath, I try to convince the boy once more.

"Abel, I'll protect you, so please, stop sitting here so we can get away from those bad men," I tell the child.

"You promise?" the boy begins to look up at me once more.

"Yes," I nod, "I promise. Just stay close to me and you'll be safe."

I offer my hand to the boy now and he slowly takes it onto his. My fingers close in on his tiny palm, firmly wrapping around his hand so that he will never leave my grasp. His tears begin to dry and his frown disappears. I look down at him and give him a gentle smile, assuring him once more that I will protect him. He returns the smile after, and finally, we begin to make our escape together.

We quickly leave the room after and run down the hall to reunite with Shion and the others. Without saying a word, I lead everyone toward the elevator as fast as can, my hand never leaving Abel's for even a second. The moment we come to the elevator however, the doors to the lift immediately open before we can press the switch. I ready my blaster as soon as the doors disappear and find three more U-TIC soldiers waiting on the other side. Before they can even draw their weapons, I open fire, killing each of them before they can get a finger on their guns' triggers. With the enemy dead, the elevator's doors close once more and the lift begins to move upward to the next floor. Taking the elevator would leave us trapped, but the only way out is to go down so that only leaves one alternative.

"It would be best if we take the stairs instead," I advise to the others.

"Why Elly?" Abel asks.

"If we take the elevator, it might be us on the receiving end of fire if it were to stop," I explain. "Although more U-TIC soldiers might be waiting for us on the bottom floor of the stairs as well. Still, I believe we might have a better chance if we took the stairs. Are you up to it, Abel?"

"Yeah, I can do it," Abel nods.

"Shion, how is Jin doing?" I ask.

"His consciousness still hasn't returned yet," she answers.

"Allen, Miyuki, would it be okay if you two carried Jin while I have Shion act as support when we go down the stairs?" I turn to the other Vector employees.

"We should be okay," Allen says as he wraps Jin's left arm around his shoulder.

"It's not a problem," Miyuki takes his other arm.

"Okay then, let's go."

We hurry to the fire escape stairwell as quickly as possible, my blaster quickly dispatching any U-TIC soldiers we come across as we enter. Luckily my intuition was right as hardly any soldiers meet us at the stairwell. We make it to the lobby of the first floor and for some reason all of the gunfire has come to a stop. The elevator at the end of the hall, however, begins to travel down to our floor. Again I ready my blaster and await for more of the enemy, but I find an ally exiting the doors instead.

"Jr., are you all right?" Shion asks.

"Yeah," the boy answers, scratching the back of his neck, "but it's weird, all of the soldiers suddenly stopped attacking and made a run for it."

"What I don't get is why they were even attacking in the first place," Allen adds.

"That shouldn't matter now," Miyuki says, "what matters is they're gone so we're home-free."

I look outside the hospital doors after and find no enemy units outside, only rescue vessels and the Elsa. I decide to go outside first to scout the area for any hidden enemies only to find none. Directly in front of the hospital is the Elsa, along with many hospital patients and civilians being boarded onto the ship. I find MOMO, chaos, and Ziggy among the crew helping the civilians. I signal the others to come out after, and we make our way toward the ship.

"Going somewhere?" a familiar voice suddenly echoes above us.

"Who's there?" I ready my weapon once more.

Aside from the Elsa, the rest of the vicinity appears to be empty. I find nothing but buildings everywhere else I look, but then I look back to the hospital. A lone figure stands on the rooftop of the building, standing tall with their arms crossed, but their face blocked by the sunlight. The mysterious person jumps into the sky suddenly, their arms and legs spread out as their head dives toward the ground. Slowly the individual's uniform comes into view; a dull gray Vector security uniform and cap, with no marks of individuality whatsoever. The person's face is still unclear though, namely because her eyes are covered by the bill of her cap. Her dive quickly breaks into a front flip now, with her legs now going first toward the ground. A large cloud of dust fills the area upon impact as a small circle around the landing cracks. The clouds quickly settle and I find my adversary standing before us, completely unscathed from the thirty-story drop. I can see her more clearly now; her pale white skin, her lack of make-up, but her eyes still completely covered from view, it's...

"Ms. Hawwa...?" Miyuki quickly recognizes the individual.

"You again!" Shion spits. "You're after Elly again, is that it!"

"I'm afraid that is not the case," the woman speaks, her voice completely monotone. "Today I come for another."

"Shion...," Jin suddenly begins to mumble. "Abel... Can't... Can't let them..."

"Jin?" Shion calls, puzzled by her brother words.

"I don't know who you are but something tells me I can't let you get whoever you're after!" Jr. aims his weapons.

Several shots escape the barrels of his guns, each blast half a second apart from the last. The woman barely moves each of her limbs to avoid each shot, as if she is able to read each of the projectiles' paths before they are even fired. The clips in Jr.'s guns eventually empty, allowing the woman to reach for the gun on her holster and return fire. Each bullet finds its mark on the Durandal's captain, each of them meeting with one of his joints or limbs. Allen and Miyuki quickly fall to the ground after witnessing the woman's marksmanship, just as MOMO, Ziggy, and chaos hurry to our aid.

"Jr., are you okay?" MOMO asks the boy.

"I'm all right, she just got a lucky shot, that's all," the boy says, trying to ignore the pain.

"I want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed," the woman begins to speak once more. "All I ask is that you give the boy to me."

"Boy?" Ziggy says, confused.

"We won't hand him to you," I find myself suddenly standing before Abel.

"Elly?" Abel looks up at me.

"I know what you're up to, but I'm not sure what you're thinking," I continue. "I do know this though, if you think you can go through the Zohar Project without me, then you're wrong."

"Zohar Project?" the words confuse my lover. "Elly, what are you...?"

"You still haven't told our mother yet, have you?" the woman interrupts once more.

"'Our mother?'"

"You still haven't figured out who I am either yet, have you? You've forgotten once again, my darling."

"I don't know who you are but I can say this, if you want the boy, you'll have to go through me first!"

"I would prefer not to, but I'm afraid I am obligated to carry out my orders regardless," the woman says, dropping her gun to the floor.

"Everyone, board the Elsa now," I order. "I will take care of this individual myself."

"Wait a second, but Elly...!" Shion tries to protest.

"Her main target is Abel, it is imperative that we get him away from her as quickly as possible!" I explain, but none of my allies move from their spot. "Please, Shion, everyone, I don't want any of you to get hurt."

"Sorry," I find my adversary suddenly striking me in the cheek with one of her tonfa.

"Elly!" my lover screams.

"Get Abel out of here, now!"

The others follow my orders without hesitation with the exception of Shion. Unfortunately I do not have the time to force her to go, instead focusing my efforts on Ms. Hawwa. I get my blaster ready once more, only to have it knocked out of my hands with the next strike. A third strike quickly follows with her disarmament, this one a swing across the cheek with the left weapon. A fourth follows, this one striking my stomach, and then a kick to the chin that knocks me onto the ground.

"You have grown so weak in so little time, Elly," the woman speaks. "I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have already, so please..."

My fingers quickly grab as much of the broken off gravel as I can and then having my arm quickly launch forward with the pebbles, planting them in her eyes. The woman falls back for a second, leaving her wide open for an attack. I take hold of the short sword that Miyuki recently gave me, taking it into both of my hands and planting the end of the sheath on the left side of her face. The strike forces her to stagger back a step, but it does nothing to knock her down. I follow with a second swing of my weapon, this one with the blunt edge of the weapon as I draw it. She still stands after this strike, and so I go for a third. The third strike is an overhead attack, forcing all of my weight into my arms as I strike down upon her head with the dull part of the sword. A loud crack fills the area after the blade comes down, the impact of this blow finally sends her face first into the floor. The fight is already over, I have no desire to continue.

"Elly, are you okay?" Shion quickly rushes to my side.

"My face stings a little," I answer.

"Is that all?"

I turn back to my opponent and find her beginning to stand once more. Her body moves as if the last three strikes meant nothing. Not a flinch in her body or break in her voice. A breeze begins to blow in the area, as if it were returning her to her feet. Her clothes begin to wave with the wind, but her cap is not strong enough to withstand the wind. Slowly her hair unravels as the hat escapes with the breeze, that long, dull blue hair. My eyes can't help but widen with every inch of the hair that flows away from its restraint, my fingers slowly losing their grip on my weapon, my breath growing short, and the beat of my heart striking against my rib cage with all its might.

"It can't be...," are the only words that could escape my mouth. "You... You're..."

Those ocean blue eyes, how it felt like looking into my own. That snow white skin, it was as pure as her original intentions. Her dull blue hair, it was like looking into a dusty mirror. That voice, I always knew it was familiar, as was that presence whenever she was near. That want for forgiveness and the wish to be loved, I can never forget it. I was never to see any of these things again, especially in the real world, and yet, here she is standing before me. Here stands my sister and other half, right before my eyes. Here stands...

"Miang?" my lover speaks.

* * *

XenoMark's Note: Yo people, how was it? Miang alive? I'm sure most of you saw it coming, but yeah, there's no way I was just going to let her die that easily in "Bound." Anyway on the subject of the Xenosaga 2 video game, I have to say I'm a bit upset. I hate some of the characters' new voices; Shion is okay, MOMO's new voice just sounds even younger than her original one, and KOS-MOS, ugh, that voice is too soft for her (and I hate her new outfit, makes her look even more like a robot). The story development isn't as great as the first's either in my opinion, it doesn't feel as epic. But whatever, it's not a bad game, it's just not as good as the original in my opinion. In any case, about this latest chapter, I was originally going to have it longer, but then I thought that 20 pages was long enough, the fight with Miang can wait until next time. Anyway, about Elly's new look for this fic, I actually designed it off of several characters Bridget Hoffman (KOS-MOS's voice actress from Episode 1 Ms. Hoffman is also known as Ruby Marlowe) played as, namely Cyberdoll Kei from "Hand Maid May" (the idea for the upper part of the dress and the glasses) (On another note, Lia Sargent, who was Shion's voice actress from episode 1, played as May in "Hand Maid May." What's strange though is that May's face and hair is a lot like Shion's, and Kei's face and hair is a lot like KOS-MOS's.). Also of note, when typing Elly's dialogue, I imagined it was Ms. Hoffman's voice when she played as Mizuho Kazami from "Please Teacher" (AKA "Onegai Teacher") because I thought a softer voice would suit Elly's personality in this fic, especially with her growing relationship with Abel. Well enough of my ranting, reviews are appreciated if they're not flames, hope to see you in the next chapter. (Man, this is probably the longest author's note I've ever written.) 


	4. Memories Past

XenoMark's Note: I just finished playing Xenosaga Episode 2 not too long ago, I just have to say that the ending wasn't that great, there's still no conclusion to the story. Man, the second game just pales in comparison to the first in terms of story, not to mention I hate most of the new voice actors. I really hope Monolithsoft gets back the voice actors from episode 1 for episode 3, the only exceptions being Jin and chaos, the other new voice actors were just bad. In any case, for this chapter we'll have a look into a few of the characters' pasts, be aware that these flashbacks may be different from those seen in the actual Xenosaga 2 video game. I should also note that this will probably be the slowest chapter out of the entire fic, just thought I'd warn you readers ahead of time. Well enough about my ranting for now, let's get back to the story.

* * *

Chapter 4: Memories' Past

(Miang's POV)

My entire reason for being, why was it that I was created? To act as the savior of Mankind by destroying its enemies, or was it something else? I never knew the reason for my existence in the few short moments I was alive. No, I was never alive, there was not one moment in which I had felt so. Pain, sorrow, depression, angst, these were the only things I had ever come to know. Just when I thought I could finally be free of these things, Fate had pushed me back into the realm of consciousness once more.

"You're... alive, Miang?" my sister asks after a moment of silence.

"Alive?" I repeat, the word creating sorrow within me. "No Elly, I am not alive, but at the same time, I am not a figment of your imagination."

"How is it that you're standing before us now, Miang?" my mother is the next to ask questions.

"...I can't explain myself," I answer. "All I know was that my existence should have ended back there, and yet..."

I begin to tell them my tale, tell them how I was able to cheat death. No, that's not right, a machine such as myself cannot die, we can only deactivate. It began with my sister holding me after her aim and shot met with my heart, I remember how everything around me began to blur. My sister and mother's cries, the wetness of their tears, I remember them all and how they all started to fade. Even the hold of my sister began to dwindle from my body, her touch slowly melting away into the ever-growing darkness. My eyes were open, and yet the darkness was still consuming me. Everything around me was supposed to disappear, I was supposed to disappear, but then...

"You cannot die yet," a voice had spoken to me, "you cannot die, Miang."

The one who spoke to me, the voice was familiar, yet I didn't know who it was. The next thing I remember was that the surrounding black began to glow, the illumination slowly crossing into gray and then into white. I found myself blinded, closing my eyes did nothing to shield me from the light. When the light disappeared, I found myself staring upward, staring into an unknown ceiling. My entire body was incapable of moving, my arms and legs held down by some unknown force. The sound of computers and other machinery began to fill my ears, it was then that I concluded I was in some sort of lab. Footsteps began to echo above the sound of the machines, and finally, a face that was draped in red leaned down toward me.

"Welcome to the real world, Miang," he said.

I decide not to tell them the rest of my tale, that doing so may jeopardize my mission and the identities of those who brought me into the real world. My family stands there with blank looks on their faces, as if the information I had just told them seemed too strange to believe.

"I am in the debt to those who brought me into this plane," I try to finish my tale. "Though I do not wish to resuscitate our feud with one another, I request that you hand the boy, Abel, to me."

"Miang, I am glad that to see you again, but as I said before, I have no intention of handing Abel over to you," my sister says.

"I see..., I'm sorry to hear that, Elly. I never wanted to hurt you after everything I had done in the past, but I..."

"Then why, Miang?" my mother asks. "Why must you fight? Those people who brought you into this plane are only using you. They had no right to bring you into this world for such a selfish reason!"

"This is my duty," I tell her. "I am a machine, a weapon, and I will forever be branded as such."

"No Miang, that's not right," she says. "You're not a weapon, you're my daughter, and..."

"The brand on my forehead is enough evidence that I will forever be branded as such, the mark that reads 'KOS-MOS,'" I continue. "What was the reason for why you and father created me? To restore order to this universe, was it not? Is it not my duty to fulfill this wish, to fulfill the reason why I was created?"

"Miang, I..."

"You have been nothing but kind to me, Mother," I interrupt once more, "but I'm afraid that the debt I owe weighs more heavily than your wishes. I can also see that my sister has no intention on backing down either, so..."

The grip around my tonfa tightens as the wind begins to pick up. I await for my sister to strike me once more, but she continues to stand there with her blade pointed to the floor. There is a blank look on her face, but I know what emotion is being felt behind it. She has no intention of fighting anymore, she believes that there is no reason to continue. She begins to slide her sword back into its sheath and begins to speak.

"Miang, I know that neither of us has the intention of backing down, but I also know that neither of us has the intention of fighting each other," my sister says. "So let's both walk away this time, for both of our sakes."

She begins to walk toward her ship, our mother tagging along close behind her. I wish I could let her go, but I have my duty, I gave 'him' my word, I swore to 'him' that I would do anything and everything to get the job done.

Before either my sister or mother can enter the ship, I manage to take hold of my mother, wrapping my arm around her neck. My sister quickly notices this, looking back at me the exact moment I point my pistol at her temple. I begin to drag our mother away from the ship and my sister closely follows. My finger is just a simple pull away from the blast that may kill our mother, but I can't bring myself to pull it.

"Miang, what are you...?" my mother orders.

"Shut up!" I force myself to scream at her. "Just shut up!"

I try to hold the tears back after I say such hateful words, try not to show any form of sadness or guilt. I find my arm already quivering after giving those hateful orders, I can't seem to stop the shaking though. Elly does not see this however and picks her blaster off the ground, its barrel pointed at me once more. Her cerulean eyes narrow for a second, but they immediately widen as she notices my body quivering. We stand paralyzed by our emotions, the breeze causing neither of us to move even an inch. Our mother does nothing but stand still in the middle of our standoff, she does nothing to try and free herself from my grasp. My teeth begin to bite down upon one another, each of the crowns about ready to crack. A lump begins to build in my throat and a fire begins to burn in my eyes. My nose begins to run and my voice begins to crack; I want to just let my mother and sister go, but I can't, I can't break my word to 'him.'

"What are you waiting for!" I yell at my sister, my voice and heart nearly broken. "Mother's life is in danger, are you just going to let me end it like this! Pull the trigger, Elly! Pull it! Please..."

She does nothing to act upon my words, my sister continues to stand there with her blaster still pointed. Her entire body begins to shake as well now, I can see the water in her eyes beginning to flood down her cheeks. Her finger struggles to stay on her gun's trigger, it continues toslip away from that tiny switch which may bring me to the next realm. The gun in my hand begins to press harder into my mother's temple, the inferno in my pupils intensifying as I do so. My actions cause the frown to disappear from Elly's face, replacing it with narrowed eyes and bared teeth. Finally my sister acts, the blast from her weapon meeting with my own. The pistol drops out of my hand and I do nothing to pick it up, allowing my sister to rush toward with me. I push our mother away as this happens, pushing her out of harm's path.

Again I draw my tonfa, drawing in time to block the unsheathing of her sword. A second swing follows after the first, this strike locking our weapons in place. Both of us struggle to overpower the other, but neither of us is able to do so. I know my body's strength can easily overpower her own, but I am unable to use my strength to its full potential, my power being held back by my breaking heart. The strength in my arms slowly gives out, eventually letting my sister break away from our lock. Her blade begins to swing downward on my open body and I wait for the light that will bring me to the next realm.

The light never comes. The edge of my sister's sword has stopped a hair-width away from my shoulder. I see her entire body struggling with her emotions once again, the floods flowing from her cerulean irises are falling as rapid as ever. Her arms lift up once more in another attempt to slash downward, but just like the last time, the blade stops before it could meet with my skin. A tiny whimper escapes her lips, the whimper then turns into a cry. Elly returns her arms to her side, the blade wrapped in her fingers slipping to the floor shortly after. I put away my weapons as well upon seeing her like this, my emotions finally taking over my obligation to fulfill my duties.

'I can't do it,' I think to myself.

"Now!" I hear another voice echo in the area.

I turn back to the ship and find several armed Kukai Foundation soldiers and the young director in the center of them all. They have no intention of letting me escape, but I can't bring myself to fight them with my sister and mother in their line of fire. I take a few seconds to find a possible escape route, finding one almost directly behind me. The hospital is abandoned now, I should be able to take cover there.

"I'm sorry," I apologize to my mother and sister before making my escape.

I begin to move now, running to the west to divert the enemies fire as far away from my family as possible. They begin to attack once I am about three feet away from them, but none of their bullets have any effect on me. Most of the projectiles fly past me, while the ones that do strike rebound off my skin the moment it touches. Some of the soldiers that notice this begin to switch weapons now, replacing their automatic rifles with energy ones. Despite how well my body was built, the circuitry inside will most likely overheat or short circuit if struck several times with energy weapons. I push all of my weight into my legs now and launch myself into the sky for a moment, allowing myself to land back on the rooftop of the hospital building. None of their weapons are able to reach me now, until my sensors pick up my sister's cyborg companion who runs out of the ship with a missile launcher type weapon on his arm. Several rockets escape the weapon after; it wouldn't be a problem for me to shoot each of them down with my R-CANNON or X-BUSTER, but the debris created from doing so would most likely fall down on Elly and Mother. I decide to take the next best course of action, jump down onto the next rooftop. My legs push against the floor as hard as I can again, propelling myself forward with all of my strength. My sensors read that the rockets are only five feet away while the distance between my current locale and the next roof is a distance of seventy feet. The projectiles are coming closer and closer, my sensors now read two feet, I have no choice but to try and act now.

I propel myself as much as I can into the sky once more, the explosion of the rockets burning beneath the soles of my boots. Higher and higher I go, the fire already melting off the material of my footwear. The fire begins to envelop my ankles now, the protective metal beneath my artificial skin starts to melt as well. My feet eventually emerge from the inferno, but their function has ceased. I begin to plummet toward the ground now, the air slicing my body as I fall to the building below. A loud crash follows the moment my feet meet with the surface, the impact forcing my entire body into the roof. Smoke from the impact temporarily blinds me, but my sensors are still able to read my surroundings. There is no sign of any potential threat, I am safe for now.

I try to lift myself off the ground, but for some reason my feet are unable to move. I look to my legs and find the wires and mechanical pieces that compose of my feet nearly severed from the rest of my legs withtiny crackles of electricity escaping from the broken parts. The fall must have broken them off, they weren't in the best condition after escaping the blast. I begin to drag myself to the closest wall so that I may sit up and take a better look at the damage, but a red-gloved hand appears before my face.

"Are you all right, Miang?" the one standing before me asks.

The fact that I had failed my mission begins to sink in now. I find myself unable to look at the one who was responsible for bringing me into this realm, unable to even stare at the mask that covers his face. No words come to my mind about the events that happened, I know that my excuse for not getting the job done isn't valid. I avert my eyes to the ground, my breath barely cursing myself for my failure. His touch falls upon my torso now, his arms beginning to lift me so that my shoulders are evenly aligned with his.

"You needn't worry about what just happened, Miang," he tells me as he keeps me balanced.

"I'm sorry, sir," I apologize, "I'm afraid there's no excuse for..."

"This was the expected result actually," he interrupts me. "Master Wilhelm expected this to happen so you needn't worry."

"Then why was I sent here?"

"I'm afraid that is not for you to know at the moment. We will disclose only the information you need to know before any mission, is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Let's return to headquarters immediately, it's time for the main phase of our plan to begin."

"The expected result," it's just like Mother said, I'm only being used, I'm only a tool in all of this. This is the way it should be, this is the purpose of a weapon. Free will, curiosity, desire, wishes, a machine should not have any of these things, the only that should matter to us is our objectives. Yet I do have them, and each of these things means a great deal to me. I've been given a rare chance, a second chance at life, yet here I am fulfilling my assigned duties as if nothing else matters. Why is it that I can't say "no" to this man, why can't I fulfill my own wishes and live my own life? Why? Why can't I...?

"Is something the matter?" my master asks.

"No," I answer, trying my best to hide my emotions. "There's nothing wrong with me, Father..."

Why can't I admit the truth?

* * *

(chaos's POV) 

Once again I felt his presence, felt his will once more. I always thought that one day I would no longer be able to hear his voice if I had not interfered with him, but now it's like he's calling out to me. I told him back then that I had no intention of following his wishes any longer, but the way he responded, I can never forget it. A simple smile is what he gave me when I told him I was leaving, that smile forever haunting me as I left the door. There was a message beneath that smile, something that told me that I can never run away, that I will return no matter what someday. Perhaps that is what's happening as of late, perhaps I am returning. Am I the one being drawn to him, is it him that is being drawn to me, or are we being drawn together by 'her.'

'She' once told me that a tiny ripple may one day become a huge wave, that each of us has the power to alter the destiny of the universe. Is it not each man's duty to try and write his own fate, or must he rely on the heavens for his guidance? Which must one follow if he is not of Man nor the heavens? How much longer can I continue running, but to where am I running? Is it my escape, or is it toward my destiny?

One thing is for certain though, Fate is catching up with me once more. Earlier today, I felt it creeping up to me further, its icy breath touching the back of my neck. Everything that's happened so far, it's just as he planned it. Order has been broken, the two beliefs that resulted from it are clashing with each other once more, creating chaos in the process. The two halves struggle with their ideals yet again, and just like the last, only one ideal will remain in the end, the other half returning into the realm of disarray.

Everyone is in some sort of panic right now; the sudden attack by the U-TIC Organization had caught all of us by surprise. Shion and KOS-MOS have been feeling unsettled with the sudden return of the Archetype KOS-MOS, their emotions struggling once again now that the lost member of their family has suddenly returned. Shion herself seems more worried though, not just about the Archetype, but over her brother. Jin has not awakened yet, but the doctors assure us he's just resting and that the nanotherapy is working fine. MOMO has been feeling unwell ever since we left, the fact that her mother, Juli Mizrahi didn't seem to care as she laid in the hospital for a day has brought sadness upon the young realian once more. Ziggy is as silent as ever, the last current events have not affected the cybernetic man. No one knows how Jr. is doing though, he's been avoiding everyone since we launched, I can't help but worry about him.

After taking a moment to reflect, I find Jr. sitting on the other side of the park now, his eyes staring into the dark, never-ending abyss that is space. He is locked in thought, his body entirely still. Something is bothering him, so I take it upon myself to see what's wrong.

"Hello Jr.," I greet the boy.

"Hey chaos," the boy says with a fake smile on his lips, "what's up?"

"I should be the one to ask you that," I take the seat next to him. "It looks like you have a lot on your mind right now, is something the matter?"

"A lot's been happening this last month or so, don't you think?" he answers. "What with the whole Proto Merkabah thing, the incident with the Archetype KOS-MOS, and just now..."

"I can tell that's not what's been bothering you," I interrupt. "It's about MOMO, isn't it?"

"...yeah, it is," he responds after a moment of hesitation.

"What's wrong? Is it the incident that happened between her and Albedo that's bothering you again, or is it because of her relationship with Ziggy?"

"How do you know these things?"

"Your argument with him yesterday was a dead giveaway."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You see the thing is, I made a promise to Sakura when she was still alive; I promised her that I would take care of her sister if anything happened. I want to keep that promise, but that cyborg...," he begins to raise his voice.

"So you feel threatened because Ziggy is the one taking care of MOMO instead of you?"

"It might be, but then... MOMO reminds me a lot about Sakura, every time I see her face, I see Sakura's. The way she smiles, laughs, her mannerisms, everything, they remind me of Sakura. I was... never able to tell Sakura how I really felt back then, so I..."

"You're plagued by the emotions you could never tell her?"

"Maybe, but at the same time, I also know that MOMO and Sakura are different people. I don't know what I'm feeling now, really. This emotion, I can't tell if it really is my feelings for Sakura that I couldn't say or if these emotions are entirely different."

"Emotions are a peculiar thing," I tell him. "Sometimes they are easy to understand, such as happiness after one has enjoyed a good meal, but in other times, they can be complicated just as what you're feeling now. If life and all of its obstacles were so easily laid out, then life itself would have no excitement, at least that's what I believe. Jr., why don't you find out for yourself if what your feeling for MOMO truly is your own feelings for her and not for Sakura. Be with her, regardless of Ziggy's presence. At least in that way, you can watch over her like you promised."

"Yeah, perhaps you're right," Jr. tells me, getting out of seat. "Thanks chaos, you're always there to help everyone out. You're always so positive, like you've never had any problems in the world."

The young man leaves after that, leaving me alone once more. His last words continue to echo in my head, the words "like you've never had any problems in the world." I'm sorry Jr., but I do have problems, no one can solve them but myself. The Hedgehog's Dilemma: the closer one hedgehog grows to another, they have an even greater risk of hurting each other, yet if the hedgehog makes no attempt to do so, he will doomed to walk the earth alone. Perhaps this is my dilemma; there's so much I can't tell no matter how much I wish to say. At times I wish I can just scream everything out, release the truth that I've kept hidden for so long, but I... I don't want to hurt anyone, even if it means I must walk down the path of life alone once more.

* * *

(Allen's POV) 

The chief hasn't left her room since we got back on the Durandal. I can tell she's really shaken up by the fact that the Archetype KOS-MOS has come back. I want to go in there and tell her everything is okay, but I can't. I mean I know what I want to say to her, know what to do to comfort her, but there's something else that's holding me back. My nervousness, the little voice in the back of my head that tells me "Don't do it, you're going to make a fool of yourself." Why do I always listen to it. Still, even when I do ignore it, the chief ignores me.

I remember after diving into KOS-MOS's encephalon, I finally got the courage to ask the chief out to lunch, but she rejected me. It didn't surprise me to be honest, she would always reject me in the past. Even after all these times she's said no to me, I still try. I'm such a fool. It's just like Miyuki says, I don't make much of an impact on people. It was always like that, even when I first met the chief three years ago.

I had gotten into Vector's First R & D Division after working in the Third Division for two years prior. Computer Networking was my specialty, it took a while for the upper divisions to notice me. I got lucky when I applied for the First Division, they originally made me the head developer of the original Archetype KOS-MOS's encephalon. I remember the first day, when I first ran into the chief. I was on my break in the lounge standing next to the water dispenser, I found myself tired after four straight hours of typing. The coffee machine was out of coffee, so I had to settle for a glass of water. My ten minute break was just about over and I started to head back to my console. My head must've still been up into the clouds, but that's when I bumped into her, literally.

"Ouch!" my shoulder accidentally bumped into another person, knocking them to the ground.

"Whoops, I'm sorry," I apologized to the young woman I bumped into. "Are you all right, Miss?" I offered her my hand.

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered, not taking my hand to help her.

The young woman I bumped into, there was something different about her, something that set her apart from the other women who worked at Vector. It wasn't the uniform, though the purple lining wasn't as common as the red one which most of the female employees wore. Was it the way she tied the braid in her hair? Was it her emerald green eyes? Her fair skin? I can go on and on about her, but there just something about her that made me feel different, that made me feel happy in a way.

"I didn't mean to bump into you, Miss," I apologized again, scratching a sudden itch in the back of my neck. "My head must've been somewhere else."

"Oh don't worry about it," she said with a smile, "I'm perfectly fine, and there's no harm done. By the way, I've never seen you here before, are you new?"

"Er, yeah," I answered, nervously, "I'm Allen Ridgeley."

"And my name is Shion Uzuki," she said as she shook my hand.

"You're the assistant chief of the KOS-MOS Project?I'm sorry, Ihad no idea that you wereMiss Uzuki."

"Please, just call me 'Shion,'" she told me, "I don't like have having titles of any sort. Well I have to get back to work now, see ya."

She just left after that, she didn't even bother to look back as she went on. I found out shortly after that that she was seeing the chief of the KOS-MOS Project of the time, Kevin Winnicott. I admit that I was jealous at the time, but there was nothing I could do about it. But then Kevin died a year after that. The chief was in so much pain at the time, I should've been there when she needed somebody. For the longest time she's bottled up her emotions about the incident, every time I looked into her eyes, I swear I could see the tears ready to fall.

"Hey Allen, what's wrong?" Miyuki snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Nothing," I tell her as I begin to turn away from the chief's room. "Nothing's wrong."

'God I'm an idiot!' I mentally kick myself.

"Nothing's going to happen if you continue to wait," Miyuki suddenly speaks. "The only way anything's going to happen is if you act on it."

"Miyuki, what are you talking about?" I ask, confused.

"Gosh, you're so dense sometimes," Miyuki sighs and walks away after.

The only way anything's going to happen is if you act on it, perhaps she's right. Yeah, I wasn't there for her in the past, but I can be now. That's right, now it's time to finally get my act together.

I get ready to go to the door of the chief's room, but the little voice in my head that says not to begins to speak again. I feel my entire body beginning to shut down on itself again as it listens to its words, but Miyuki's words come to my mind again and renew my energy. That's right, nothing's going to stop me from helping the chief this time, this time I'll...

"Oh, Allen, did you want something?" KOS-MOS opens the door before I could knock.

"I'm sorry, but is the chief all right?" I ask.

"If it's not a problem, she wants to be alone right now," she answers. "I'm sorry."

"No, that's fine," I answer.

KOS-MOS walks out of the room now and makes her way out of the area. Just when I was good and ready to go, the chief wants to be alone. Unfortunately I can't do anything about this one, so I'm afraid I'll have to get my chance another time. Yeah, nothing else will hold back Allen Ridgeley from expressing the emotions in his heart.

"Are you still here, Allen?" Miyuki's voice interrupts my thoughts again. "Come on, why don't you take me to lunch right now?" Miyuki invites.

"Well, all right," I answer.

"Really, you'll buy lunch for me, that's so great!" Miyuki exclaims.

"Hey wait, I thought you asked...!"

"Come on, I know this great restaurant on the Foundation," she takes my arm, "it's a bit expensive for vegetarian, but the fat free salad dressing is so..."

Oh man, so much for nothing else holding me back...

* * *

(Jin's POV) 

None of us saw it coming, no one could have foreseen the events that have unfolded. The sudden realian outbreak that's spreading across all of Miltia, I never thought I would see a day like this in my entire life. The violence is only worsening by the second, but my intuition tells me there's something else going on. This disk that Captain Hyuga and I have acquired from a U-TIC officer is said to have some sort of great importance, but it can't be what this is outbreak about, can it?

"Captain Hyuga, may I ask what exactly is the importance of this so-called 'Y-Data?'" I ask my fellow comrade.

"First of all, Jin, we're the same rank, you don't have to call me 'captain,'" she tells me, "second, we've known each other since what, pre-school, and third, just call me 'Yui' like you did when we were kids."

"I'll keep that in mind, Cap...," I stop, remembering her previous order, "I mean, Miss Yui."

"Don't call me 'Miss' either, Jin, just call me by my name."

"Yes, Miss Yui."

"Never mind... In any case, about the Y-Data, Lt. General Helmer said that this data contains the identity of the one who started this whole mess, along with other classified information currently unknown to the Galaxy Federation. The Lt. General didn't say much else about it except that this is supposed to be the pinnacle of Dr. Joachim Mizrahi's work, only two copies of the data were made; one being the disk in your very hands right now and the other in a prototype realian. You should already know all of this, weren't you paying attention during the mission briefing?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Yui, but my mind was fixated on other matters at that time," I apologize.

"That's just not like you, Jin."

We begin to leave the premises now, the area that was once a shopping center. Glass is broken, cars toppled over, and fire grazing most of the structure. The bodies of U-TIC soldiers and some of my comrades lie in that fire, but I suppose it was Miss Yui's and my fault why things ended up like this. We had gotten an order to achieve the so-called 'Y-Data,' the last known location of a copy was in the hands of a U-TIC officer last seen in this vicinity. My squad just happened to be within the vicinity, and so, we were given the order to acquire it. We fought for nearly an hour, unfortunately Miss Yui and I were the only survivors of the battle. Unfortunately this is only the first part of our mission, the next part is to break into the U-TIC Organization's HQ, Labyrinthos, and analyze the data there. If I had a choice in the matter, I would not go, there are other things I've been worrying about.

"Hey Jin, are you all right?" Miss Yui asks me as we enter our individual A.M.W.S. units. "You seem a bit out of it today."

"No, I'm all right," I answer via the radio the moment we board.

"You're worried about your parents, right?" she continues. "If I remember correctly, your mom's currently residing in the Mizrahi Neurosis Facility."

"Yes, that's right," I answer. "My mother's been in the same room for nearly eight years now, she hasn't been the same ever since she gave birth to my sister. The doctors don't know what's wrong with her exactly; her mind blanks out every once and a while, but she remembers everything a few hours later. In any case, we have a mission to complete, now is not the time to talk about my family affairs."

"You're right, but after we're done, do you want to check up on your mother and see if she's all right?"

"I'd like that."

"If I remember correctly, Labyrinthos is north of here," Miss Yui returns to the mission, "if we take Highway 86 North, we should make it in no time. The U.R.T.V. units are also stationed there, so we should be able to receive some reinforcements from them as well."

We begin to follow the highway shortly after, giving us safe passage as we witness even more of the chaos of this realian outbreak if we turn to our sides. Labyrinthos' trademark tower grows closer and closer, but it suddenly is cut off from our view. Several U-TIC A.M.W.S. units suddenly appear before us now, blocking off the path in front of us. We try to turn around, but several more jump down from nearby rooftops. We're surrounded and outnumbered, but that doesn't mean we're not going to go down without a fight.

I lead the attack with my A.M.W.S., Heimdal, swinging its blade so that I may strike down two enemy units in front of me. The first enemy craft is sliced in half with a horizontal chop of my machine's sword, the halves falling off the sides of the highway after. The second A.M.W.S. charges forward with a blade of its own, the weapon trying to impale my cockpit. Without even thinking my body reacts, forcing Heimdal's sword into the path of my enemy's weapon. The two swords are locked in an angle, neither my opponent nor myself are gaining the upper hand. Tired of this predicament, I force Heimdal's right leg forward, planting its foot into the enemy unit's chest. I take advantage of this situation now, thrusting my A.M.W.S.'s blade with all my might, plunging the blade directly into the enemy cockpit. This last action has left me wide open to an enemy attack, an opportunity three enemy craft have noticed. Before I can be struck down by the three, Miss Yui's A.M.W.S. suddenly runs in front me, her machine's sword quickly slashing across the opposition. There is no time for a break unfortunately as a hail of bullets begins to rain down on us, several of the projectiles meeting with the limbs of my machine. I rush forward as fast as Heimdal can take me, bringing me close enough to slice one of them down. The rest simply jump away from Heimdal's range, but two fail to notice Miss Yui's craft as it charges forward with its blade taking the lead. Our last actions were of little use though as more enemy units appear from the sky, blocking our path once more. At this rate we won't make it to Labyrinthos.

"Jin, get out of here!" Miss Yui suddenly orders over the radio. "Take the Y-Data and finish the mission."

"But Miss Yui...!"

"You've got somewhere else to be, right? Then get out of here, I can handle this by myself."

I take a moment to contemplate while maneuvering Heimdal around, and finally come up with the decision to follow Miss Yui's advice. Her machine suddenly runs past me afterward, running directly into the line of fire that falls upon us. With one swing she disposes of the enemy units that blocks my path. Without wasting another second and without looking back, I run through the opening, leaving Miss Yui to what may be her death.

.-.

I can't help but wonder what happened to Miss Yui after I left. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to leave her alone like that. No, she won't die that easily, she was ranked the top swordsman in our academy, both outside and inside an A.M.W.S. unit. I suppose she's okay, so I shouldn't assume the worse.

A column of light suddenly flashes in the direction of Labyrinthos now, the light blinding me for a second. My craft begins to pick up several IFF signals as the light blinds me, but most of those signals disappear. Ally units appear in front of me now, but something is strange, their weapons are pointed toward me. I try to broadcast my own IFF signal but to no avail, each of them begins attacking without warning. Out of instinct I strike back, cleaving through one and then another. I turn my attention back in the direction of my destination after and find another machine, this one different from the others. Dark blue, almost purple, and two large guns on its back, along with one arm shot off. I look into my machine's screen after and realize that that machine is the only one still broadcasting an IFF signal. One of the other former ally units begins to walk toward the craft and I again I charge forward, bringing my blade down on it before it could attack who may be my ally.

"Attention unknown craft," I begin a transmission to it, "I notice you're the only broadcasting an IFF signal, are you an ally?"

"You seem to be the only craft unaffected by the song," a voice on the other line answers. "If it's all right with you, we would like your assistance in this matter."

"Roger that," I tell the pilots of the unknown machine. "Allow me to assist you."

I count only three enemies in the immediate vicinity, two long range units, one on another part of the highway, another on a rooftop, and one melee unit directly behind me. Heimdal is already low on fuel, there's no way I can reach the two long range units. With the last of my craft's fuel, I swing its blade one last time, slicing the enemy in half. The warning signal in my machine goes off now, I'm being targeted by one of the enemy's rifles. I wait for the shots but they never come, the source of the fire suddenly exploding. I turn back to the unknown craft and find it moving with extraordinary speed, whatever that machine is, it's no ordinary A.M.W.S. The machine then leaps up into the air for a moment, it's remaining arm firing several shots from the gun attached to it as it reaches the peak of its jump. Each of the bullets finds its mark on the last enemy, the enemy craft exploding soon after. The unknown A.M.W.S. drops onto its knees after landing, its pilots jumping out of the cockpit the moment after. I begin to crawl out of Heimdal as well at this moment, but another warning alert rings on my screen. There is one more A.M.W.S. unit, its directly behind me. I see the enemy as it appears in the reflection of my helmet's visor, but instead of rushing at me with its weapon, it slowly reaches for me. I simply observe the machine as it attempts to catch me, doing nothing as it does so. Its fingers begin to close in on me, but it is now that I act. My hands quickly take hold of the katana at my side, my left pulling down on the sheath while my right frees the blade from its oak restraint. The moment the blade meets with the body of the enemy A.M.W.S., it slices in half, sending the debris in multiple directions.

"Impressive, that pilot is as skilled out of his craft as he is in it," the orange-haired pilot of the unknown machine says as I make my way towards them.

"I am Captain Jin Uzuki of the Miltian Military's 452nd A.M.W.S. Division," I introduce myself to the two individuals, "and you two are...?"

"I am chaos," the white-haired pilot introduces himself, "and this is Canaan. We're from the Galaxy Federation's 160th Military Division."

"Are you?" I ask, aware that their identities are a false one. "I'm sorry, but I've known several individuals from the 160th Military Division and I know for a fact that the 160th division doesn't permit the use of prototype A.M.W.S. craft such as yours. Tell me, who are you really?"

"You're quite observant, Captain," the one named 'chaos' continues. "If that's the case, we're really agents of Lt. General Helmer sent in to assist in the rescue the U.R.T.V. units as well as assist in the retrieval of the Y-Data," he now presents me with a U.M.N. plug-in with his orders.

"I see," I say after taking a moment to read over their orders, "then my job is virtually done."

"It would probably be best if we all continued onward from here," Canaan recommends.

The three of us begin to make our way into Labyrinthos itself. The interior is already greatly damaged; nearly all of the windows are shattered, the walls filled with cracks, litter scattered across the entire floor, bodies of soldiers from different factions lying on the ground or hanging off bars, nothing has been left in good condition. The smell of fresh blood grows more apparent in my nose as we venture further, as well as the faint sound of young voices.

"Rubedo, I'm scared," one of the voices says.

"Concentrate Albedo," another speaks, "it's just like in training."

"That must be them," chaos says after the voices, "it sounds like they're a few floors below our current locale."

"I can't let you go any further," another voice enters the vicinity now.

"Colonel!" I immediately recognize the voice.

The sound of footsteps begins to echo above the voices now, the figure of a man slowly appearing from within the darkness. Dark violet eyes and nearly shaved hair come into view now, a simper stretched across the lips of its owner. His navy blue uniform appears soon after, the clothing painted with random patches of blood. In his hand is a saber, the sword's blade entirely covered with crimson. He walks closer now, spots of red falling from his sword to the floor, a larger dot falling to the ground after every step. He stops severely feet in front of us, his simper stretching further when he sees my face.

"I didn't think I'd run into you so soon, Uzuki," the man speaks.

"Colonel Margulis, what are you doing here?" I ask.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Uzuki," the colonel continues. "But no matter, I'll make this brief, return the data you stole to me right now. This is an order, Captain."

"And if I am to refuse that order?" I ask.

"Same old Uzuki, stubborn as always. Very well, I'll have to pry that disk out of your hands myself then."

The colonel suddenly charges toward us at this very moment, his sword slicing the air as it dives toward my shoulder. I push myself back to avoid the blow, drawing my katana out in the same moment to block the second. Canaan draws a pistol from his belt now and opens fire at the colonel's feet. The colonel immediately notices this, jumping out of the way to avoid the shots. Canaan continues to fire, adjusting his aim higher now that I'm no longer in range. Somehow the colonel is able to deflect or dodge each of the bullets, but he is unable to avoid chaos as he attacks from behind with a jump kick. The colonel staggers after chaos's sudden attack, but quickly counters with a swing of his sword. chaos is barely able to avoid the slash, the blade barely grazing his clothing. I try to attack as well now, aiming for the colonel's back as well. He avoids the attack by bending his back backward in a method that would easily snap an ordinary man's spine in half. Pain begins to paint itself across my chest now, the colonel's saber has lightly slashed across the upper part of my body. chaos tries to attack the colonel's legs at this moment as he attempts to go for a kick to the ankle, but the colonel is able to evade the kick by flipping backward and jumping behind me at the same time. I swing my blade behind me after in another attempt to attack, but my sword is caught by his. I pull my katana away after, quickly swinging it to his side after only to meet with his blade again. The two blades continue to crash against each other, each of the swings failing to meet their mark.

chaos tries to join in the attack again, trying for the same tactic as the last time, but this time the colonel is able to avoid it, the kick planting itself on me instead. The kick knocks me onto the ground, but the pain from my wound prevents me from returning to my feet. I look back to where chaos and the colonel are fighting, only to find chaos now falling to one of the colonel's attacks. The colonel's blade meets with chaos's arm, slicing the area around his upper arm. Canaan tries to open fire once more, only this time the colonel notices this and leaps toward him. Canaan tries to block the strike with his gun, only to have the weapon broken in two with a single swing of the colonel's sword. The pain from my wound begins to reside a little now, allowing me to return to my feet and into the fray.

The colonel notices my return, his attention reverting to me so that he may block my attack. I continue to swing my sword in rapid fashions, but the power behind each attack grows slower and weaker than the last. Fatigue is getting the best of me once more, enough so that the colonel is able to push me away with a single hand. I meet with the floor once again, but I quickly recover as chaos and Canaan rush to my aid.

"Is this all you and your friends can do, Uzuki?" the colonel taunts. "You always were below me, even when that old man was still teaching us."

"Don't you dare talk about my grandfather like that!" I spit.

At this rate, there's no way Canaan, chaos, and myself can defeat the colonel. I regret putting off my training now, if only I had trained as much as I did when I was younger, I wouldn't be losing to the colonel so easily. Screams begin to echo from the lower levels of the base, the voices of the screams are the same ones that spoke earlier. The U.R.T.V. units are in danger, but there's no way any of us can reach them with the colonel in our way. The three of us won't be able to complete our mission if this keeps up, the only thing is to...

"chaos, Canaan, take this," I hand them the disk that contains the Y-Data, "this is one of your mission objectives, is it not?"

"Captain, what are you...?" chaos tries to ask.

"If you continue to dawdle here, you won't be able to complete any of your objectives," I explain. "I'll do by best to deal with the colonel, so you and Canaan should hurry to the lower regions of this place and finish your other mission objective."

"But you're injured!"

"If you'll pardon the cliche, it's just a scratch," I say, trying to put on my best smile. "Now go, I don't know how much longer I can hold him."

"All right, let's go, chaos," Canaan begins to leave.

"Captain, I'm sorry, but...," chaos tries to apologize.

"Don't worry, this isn't the end," I assure him. "I'm sure the three of us will meet again, I just hope the conditions won't be a grueling as this."

"I understand, take care."

The two exit the area now and run into the darkness behind me. Their figures disappear quickly from my sight, leaving me with colonel right in front of me. Even the colonel's figure begins to fade now, the sound of his voice beginning to grow mute. My eyelids grow heavy as well, my body is barely able to support itself. I can't let myself die here, not until I can at least see if my family is all right.

"You're not doing a very good job of holding me," the colonel taunts, "at this rate, I can just walk right past you and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

After hearing those words, all of my energy returns, my right arm forcing my sword upward with all my strength. The colonel fails to see this attack in time, the edge of my sword meeting with the right side of his face, slicing upward past his lip and eye. The slash forces the colonel to stagger back for a moment, but unfortunately all of the energy in my body begins to fade after that attack. Before my head can fall to the ground, the colonel's hand wraps around my neck, the blood from his wound dripping down his chin and onto my face.

"Just for that, I'll make sure you have a slow and painful death!" the colonel yells at the top of his voice. "DIE, UZUKI!"

The edge of the colonel's sword begins to fall onto me once more, but the moment it's supposed to meet with my body, it stops. Another river of blood begins to fall onto my body now, but I realize it is not my own. I look to the source of the crimson flood to find another blade, this one protruding through the colonel's chest. A palm reaches onto the colonel's face from behind after, prying him away and forcing him onto the floor. Another person stands before me; cinnamon brown hair, aqua-colored pupils, and fair white skin, these are features of a person I've known for a very long time.

"I leave you alone for a second and this is what happens," the individual sighs.

"Miss Yui?" I quickly recognize the person.

The entire structure begins to shake violently now, the upper floor beginning to rain down upon us. Miss Yui begins to administer a medica ether, one that will at least allow me to walk. We begin to make our way out of the building, avoiding every piece of rubble that tries to block our path. The closer we get to the exit, the more fierce the building shakes and more rubble falls from the upper floors. My intuition tells me that this isn't the worst of things, that there is an even bigger problem standing behind us. Looking back, we find the colonel on his feet once more, one hand clutching the wound Miss Yui had inflicted on him, while the other dragging his sword on the ground. His clothing is nearly covered with the red fluid escaping his wounds, his body ready to collapse at any moment. Despite his condition, he readies his saber at us once more with renewed energy.

"HYUGA! UZUKI!" he screams our names.

He charges once more, faster than earlier. Every step buries his feet deeper and deeper into the ground, the cracks left by his steps quickly fill with the blood that drips down his face and body. The swing of his sword is a wide one, one that is also so fast that my eyes barely register it. The two of us barely have enough time to block, but the strike is somehow able to push the two of us to the ground. He concentrates his attacks on my comrade now, lunging his blade at her with both of his hands. Miss Yui is barely able to react to this on time, her katana barely catching the colonel's sword before it touches the hair on her head. She tries to kick him away while their blades are clash, but he manages to jump away, swinging his sword downward during his escape. A streak of crimson suddenly paints itself over Miss Yui's abdomen after, the colonel's blade was able to strike her doing his retreat. Miss Yui does her best to return to her feet so that she may try and counter the colonel's next attack, but the strength she needs to hold her sword has already dwindled. After only standing for three seconds, her katana slips from her fingers, her hands then turning inward so that they may clutch the wound that was recently inflicted.

"You're pathetic, Hyuga," the colonel taunts as Miss Yui grasps her wound, "you rely on the same underhanded tactics over and over again when it comes to singles combat. You and Uzuki really are worthless, neither of you can stand after one tiny scratch like this. Don't worry, I'll put you both out of your misery soon."

"Miss Yui!" I scream as I blindly charge into the fight.

I'm barely able to keep my balance now, the building's structure feels like its diving in and out of the ground continuously. Several pieces of concrete begin to fall in front of me now, each one trying to block my path. Without wanting to waste any time, I dive forward, emerging through the debris's path before it can touch the floor. The moment I recover from my dive though, a sharp pain suddenly jolts through my leg. The colonel has already begun his attack, continuing it immediately after by slashing my other leg. My knees plummet to the ground after, my body is already succumbing to the pain. He begins to approach me now, his sword once again treading against the shaking floor. I try to swing my blade at him when he comes within my weapon's range, but he is easily able to deflect the attack with a tap of his saber. The tap becomes a full swing after, slashing to my left. I'm unable to dodge the slash, however the cut that was produced is meager, only a tiny welt created by the tip of the blade. He tries to take a slash at me again after, but this time something stops him. A rock is thrown at the back of the colonel's head, averting his attention away from me for a moment.

"Must you continue to get in my way, Hyuga!" the colonel screams.

With his back now turned toward me, I decide that I must it end it here in one swift attack. The wrap around my sword tightens with all of my strength now, the muscles in my arms burning as if they were caught in a blaze. My arms begin to lift my katana upward now, slicing in the direction of the north and west. To my surprise, the colonel notices my attack, and tries to counter with a strike of his own. The impact of the blows knocks me further into the ground, my entire body now lying against its surface. The blood on the colonel's face begins to trickle down onto my own just as more crimson rivers open from his skin as the pieces of the ceiling rain down on us. Neither of us has the advantage over the other, but then I notice as small crack in the colonel's sword. Seconds pass, and the crack grows. The edge of my own sword slowly begins to travel into the blade of the colonel's. By the time he notices this, my katana is more than half way through. He tries to pull his sword away at this moment, but before he can fully retreat, the rest of the steel slab snaps off, the edge of my sword quickly traveling across his chest. Another ruby geyser erupts from his body as I extract the sword from him, his entire body growing limp and finally succumbing to the pain.

Miss Yui hurries to my aid now, pulling me back to my feet and wrapping my arm around her shoulder. The shaking of Labyrinthos has intensified, Miss Yui is barely able to keep the two of us balanced. Larger pieces of the ceiling begin to fall down now, falling in unison in the direction opposite of the building's exit. Miss Yui moves us toward the exit with all her strength, the two of us ready to collapse at any moment. The battle is over, all that's left is to escape, at least that's what I want to believe. I look back for a moment and find the colonel trying to stand once more.

"Damn you, Uzuki!" he screams.

Before he can do anything else, the rain of debris begins to fall down on him. A giant piece of concrete is the first to meet with his shoulder, leaving a large gash on it. It does little to slow him down as he begins to walk toward us now. Miss Yui begins to pick up the pace at this moment, but she is barely able to go any faster than how we are now. Another piece of the building meets with the colonel, crushing his left foot, but again this doesn't stop him. With a quick brush of his left hand, he is able to toss the rock away. More debris falls on him, but none of it seems to have an effect on him. The exit is nearly within reach now, but so is the colonel. The rain of the ceiling is just above our heads now as well, there is only one chance to make it out of here alive.

With all of my strength, I force Miss Yui and myself through the glass of the door, sending us outside in an instant. I look back to find the colonel just a step outside to where we are, but it is then that the entire floor above him falls. A large cloud of dust falls the moment it meets with his body and pushes him into the ground, the dust filling our lungs and eyes for a moment. It parts shortly, and finally, to my relief, the colonel no longer stands, but lies crushed by the debris.

"Are you okay?" I ask my comrade.

"I've been better," she answers with her best smile.

The worst is not over though, now the entire surface shakes. We look back to Labyrinthos and find the entire structure above the first floor beginning to give away. Without wasting any more time, Miss Yui and I hurry toward her A.M.W.S. unit which is parked not too far away from the building. Miss Yui jumps inside the cockpit while I'm placed in the craft's free hand. An explosion suddenly goes off on the top floor of Labyrinthos now, the entire building begins to topple over. The upper half of the building begins to fall forward, it's shadow beginning to paint over us. Darker and darker the shadow becomes, but for some reason, we're not moving.

"Miss Yui, hurry!" I order.

"I'm trying!" she yells back at me. "Great, I must have used most of my fuel fighting those guys earlier, if I hadn't taken so long, this wouldn't be a problem!"

Glass from the windows begins to rain down on us now, the shards beginning to cut at my uniform and face. The structure itself is only inches away from us, I fear that this is the end.

The engine of Miss Yui's A.M.W.S. begins to roar now, the boosters on its back begin to light up. Before I know it, the wind begins to cut across my face, Miss Yui was somehow able to start up the engine before Labyrinthos could crush us. The craft is only able to move for three more seconds though, and breaks down a few feet away from the remains of the building. The two of us climb out of the now useless machine, the pain from our wounds engulfing our bodies once more. Regardless, we still have enough energy to see the results of our last mission.

"I guess this mission's a failure, huh?" Miss Yui asks as she glances at the destroyed structure. "Hey Jin, are you all right?" she asks me a moment later.

"There were two others," I speak. "There were two others who were in there with me. Two operatives working directly for Lt. General Helmer. chaos and Canaan, I wonder if they were able to get out of there all right."

"Strange, I didn't see anyone else in there," Miss Yui explains. "But if they were in the basement regions of Labyrinthos, they should be okay."

"I hope so."

"In any case, the mission's over, do you want to check up on your mother now?" Miss Yui changes the subject.

"I'd like that."

It is now that I wake up, an unknown ceiling greeting me as I awaken from my slumber. My entire body feels sore, many bandages wrapped around my limbs and torso. How was it that I ended up like this? Wait, now I remember, I was returning home from the orphanage when I...

"Finally up, huh?" I'm greeted by a familiar voice.

"Miss Yui?" I find my old comrade standing in the room's doorway.

"You're always getting into trouble whenever I'm not around, it's so typical of you," she sighs as she takes the chair next to my bed.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," I apologize. "By the way, why aren't you at the orphanage, is it not your shift today?"

"I'm sorry, Jin," her eyes avert toward the floor, "but the orphanage was..."

"I should have figured as much," I say. "So they've already...?"

"No, Abel is still with us," Miss Yui answers before I can finish. "It's strange, I thought their objective was to capture him. When they went after the orphanage last night, they didn't attempt any capture, they simply destroyed the building. They even gave us more than enough time to escape as well."

"That certainly is strange. Not only that, I encountered Pellegri as well," I explain. "She told me 'there can be no more delay,' but that contradicts what you just told me. Not only that, Pellegri also mentioned a 'Margulis' last night as well, and if it's the Margulis we know, then..."

"Colonel Margulis is alive!" Miss Yui exclaims. "Impossible, the two of us saw Labyrinthos crush him fourteen years ago, there's no way..."

"I thought so too, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew he survived," I answer. "I'm not sure what the circumstances are, but I can say that it wasn't the devil's luck that kept him alive, there's some other force at work. Whatever that force is, I know it's the one that's going after Abel and Shion."

"Someone's going after Abel and Shion, Colonel Margulis is alive, and now suddenly Vector and the Federation Government has taken great interest in the orphanage's attack. Just what is going on exactly?"

"I don't know myself, but I have a fairly good idea that someone close to us does..."

* * *

(Shion's POV) 

I can't sleep, my thoughts continue to return to the events that happened earlier today. Miang, my first daughter, she has returned to my life unexpectedly yet again, and just like the last time, she has pushed away my love for her. She called herself a machine, a weapon, ruled by the brand of "KOS-MOS" on her forehead, but deep down inside, I knew that wasn't what she was feeling. I want to help her, but I don't know how. I was able to save Elly from the same problem with my heart, but I don't know if I can do the same for Miang. How I love both my daughters is different; Elly is my lover and Miang is simply my daughter, but I still want to do what's right for the both of them, neither is more important than the other.

I look at the clock at the end of the room now and look at the time. It's 2:30 A.M., Elly still hasn't returned from the orphanage's shelter yet. She said she would help look after the kids in Miss Yui's place since Jin is recovering, but I didn't think she would take this long. To be honest, I never liked being alone, I've never been able to sleep without any sedatives if no one was around to comfort me. It's the void that prevents me from sleeping, the void of loneliness. I always feel like that one day that void may one day sweep me away from everyone else before the morning comes. When I'm with Elly though, I don't have to worry because if I were sucked into that void, I know that she will be with me.

My thoughts continue to pick at my brain without giving me a moment of rest. It doesn't look like Elly will be coming back any time soon unfortunately, so I guess I have to take some sedatives to get some rest. I look through my bag and find one left, I probably used most of them up during the course of last month's events. I inject the chemical into my arm shortly, waiting a few seconds for the drug to take effect. Slowly but surely the room grows even darker, even the faint green light of the clock across the room becomes blind to me.

"Is something the matter, Shion?" Kevin snaps me out of my daze.

"Huh?"

"Are you all right, you seem a bit out of it today."

"I... I'm sorry, I just... I just..."

Water begins to crawl from my eyes, the rivers rapidly flowing down the sides of my face. My voice suddenly cracks and my nose begins to run. I bury my palms into my eyes now, trying my best to block the floods from my irises, but to no avail. I know the rest of my fellow employees are watching me now, but I don't care. Why should I care, why should after what I learned today at the doctor's office?

"Let's go somewhere else for now, Shion," Kevin tells me as he helps me out of my seat, "the rest of you, get back to work."

Kevin helps me walk outside after, his arm never leaving my side as he guides us out of the building. We walk for several minutes, but I pay no mind to where we go, but attention stuck on what I had learned today. Finally we come to a stop, finding a seat on a bench.

"Here, dry your tears," my lover hands me a handkerchief. "What's wrong, Shion?"

I take a moment to wipe away the tears away from my face, but my voice is still broken. I take a moment to calm down, speaking shortly after I regain as much composure as I can.

"You know I had appointment at the doctor's office today, right?" I ask him.

"Yeah," he nods.

"You also know how much I enjoy children too. Well today I had my physical, and in the past I've never had any problems, but now..."

"But now?"

"The doctor told me that I can never have children," I begin to break down once more. "He said that my body isn't developing any eggs and that it can't support a fetus at all."

"Isn't there any kind of surgery we can get to..."

"The doctor said that the problem is based on the genetic scale," I continue, the streams crawling down my face as rapid as ever. "There is no way to fix the problem. I know how much you wanted to have kids after we got married, but now..."

"It's okay, it's okay," he tries to assure me as he wraps his arms around my shoulders. "I know that's what I said, but you know, life isn't about just having kids, just having you in my life is enough."

"I know, but I still... I still want a child of our own," I tell him, burying my face into his chest. "I want to pass on a legacy, I want to raise a member of the next generation, I want... I just want to be a mother!"

I succumb to the tears once more, my emotions getting the best of my words. His wrap around me tightens as the cries grow louder, the caress of his hands for once doing nothing to soothe me.

"Shion," he speaks after several moments of listening to my weeping, "you know that you are already going to be a mother."

"What?"

"That's right," he continues, "in a few months, our daughter will be born."

"Our daughter? Kevin, what are you talking about?"

"I know it may sound strange, maybe even ridiculous, but the fruits of our efforts and the legacy you wish to pass on, they all reside in KOS-MOS. If that's true, then doesn't that make her our daughter?"

"KOS-MOS is... our daughter?"

"Is it too strange, or...?"

Our daughter... The Project that Kevin and I have been working on this past year is supposed to be our daughter. How can that be? KOS-MOS is a machine, she was created by Kevin and my hands; her functions and algorithms were programmed by us, her body was constructed by metal and circuitry, everything about her was created by us in an unnatural matter, and yet... Kevin's words don't sound strange. Real children are also created by their parents in a way, biologically and through the use of psychology. Mothers give birth to their children, but as children grow, parents teach their children how to act and be a member of society, shaping the person they will become. KOS-MOS isn't that different, if anything her "birth" is the same. She may be just a weapon, but to me, she can be more. She can be our daughter.

"No it doesn't sound strange," I find myself beginning to calm down. "She may not be born into this world in a natural way, she may not be of flesh and blood, but she is still our child. That's right, KOS-MOS will be our daughter, our legacy. Thank you, Kevin."

I wake up now, the faint green light of the clock from the other side of the room greeting me when I open my eyes. The numbers on the clock now read 2:34 A.M., I didn't even get five minutes of sleep. Elly still hasn't returned either, the spot next to me on the bed is still empty. I try to get back to sleep, but I find my body only tossing and turning continuously instead. I look back to the clock and the time now says 2:48 A.M. With a sigh, I decide not to try and go back to sleep, instead I decide to try and go out for a walk to clear my head and possibly stop by the pharmacy to pick up some more sedatives.

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

It's almost three in the morning and I still don't know what to say to Shion. We were supposed to run away together yesterday morning and start a new life, but things have changed now. Running away won't do anybody any good, eventually they will come for the two of us. No, they probably don't have any more use for me now that they're in control of Miang again, they would only be after Shion. Just how am I supposed to tell her that we can't run away anymore, how am I supposed to tell her about what was planned behind Mankind's backs for so long?

"Oh, Miss KOS-MOS, you're still here?" a voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Good evening, Miss Yui," I greet the children's caretaker. "How is Jin doing?"

"He just woke up actually," she answers as she places her coat in the closet. "How are the children?"

"I put them to bed at eight just as you asked, although..."

The sound of laughter escapes from the room next door before I can finish. Miss Yui leaves the room after while I stay in my seat and continue to ponder on how I'm going to explain everything to Shion. Unfortunately I can think of nothing, I can only think about what Miss Yui might say to me for letting the child in the next room stay up.

"You let Abel stay up I see," Miss Yui returns.

"I'm sorry, but..."

"Don't worry, it's all right," Miss Yui assures me. "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have minded if you let all the children stay up, especially after what happened last night. So how do you like your coffee?" she asks as she heads into the kitchen.

"I've never had coffee before actually," I admit.

"Here, try it, add as much sugar or cream as needed," she says as she places two mugs and cups of sugar and cream on the table.

"By the way, Miss Yui, why did you get involved with the orphanage?" I ask. "You and Jin used to be in the Miltian Military, right?"

"How did you know that?" she asks before sipping her drink.

"Oh... Um... Shion mentioned it once, that's all," I answer.

That's not the truth, data on Jin and Miss Yui were uploaded into my system without Shion's knowledge. They aren't the only ones I've had data on for a while, in fact, everyone we've encountered so far has had something outlined in my data banks.

"Well like any war, children are always the most likely to suffer," Miss Yui begins. "After the Miltian Conflict, there were a lot of orphans left behind, and then there was Jin and I, who were recently discharged from the military. Seeing those children on the streets made us realize that perhaps our actions weren't for the best, that we were partly responsible for why those kids no longer have families. I guess you can say Jin and I got involved with the orphanage out of guilt at first, but now that fourteen years have passed, most of those children left behind in the conflict have grown up or have new families. We grew attached to the kids, with each one that comes into the orphanage. That's why we decided to help the orphanage, but I have another reason too; I think that I'll never have kids."

"Why?" I ask, finally taking a sip of the bland drink.

"It's not that I have a medical condition or anything, but...," she pauses for a moment. "There is someone I'd like to have a family with. He can be such a dunce at times, he gets into a lot of trouble when I'm not around, he's a bit reckless, but still, he's a nice guy. It's just that, I don't think he knows how I feel, that's all."

"You're talking about Jin, aren't you?" I ask.

"...yeah," she nods. "We grew up together as kids, we used to be next door neighbors. Jin was always a trouble maker back then, he was always doing some kind of mischief. He wouldn't do anything like that whenever I was around, I had a tendency to punch him in the stomach now and then just to show him who was the boss," Miss Yui giggles. "I think it was when he was fourteen that he stopped acting up, that was when Shion was born and when their mother...," she begins to hesitate. "In any case, Jin joined the military after high school, he thought he would make his family proud if he did. I didn't want him to get into any more trouble back then, so I joined too. We were put in the same squad out of sheer luck, and on our very first mission, I was nearly killed. I had been targeted by an enemy A.M.W.S. craft, and before the bullets could hit me, Jin's mech jumped in front of mine and took the damage. He was hospitalized for several days after, and not once did I leave his side. Receiving that act of heroism and being reminded of it every time I saw his face while he was in his coma, I think that's when I started to fall in love with him. It's silly, isn't it?" Miss Yui sighs. "It's just like something you'd hear out of a fairy tale, huh?"

"No, I don't think so," I shake my head. "Fairy tale or not, what Jin for you that day was truly courageous, there aren't that many people who would take the fall for someone they care about these days."

"Thank you, Miss KOS-MOS," Miss Yui says.

"Well it's getting late," I begin to take my leave. "I hope you have a pleasant evening."

I start to make my way out of the orphanage's shelter, taking one last look at the next room to find Abel still occupied by the television set. Laughter escapes his lips as giant objects continue to fall on a cartoon cat, his body nearly falling to the floor, unable to sustain his balance. To think that this boy was frightened to death earlier today, brought out of his fear by a single promise I made. I can't help but smile I as I watch the boy and I can't help but sigh before I walk out the door.

The streets of the Foundation are empty at this hour, as they should be. The only lights that are on are the streetlights, none of the houses are kept illuminated. Nothing but silence can be heard as I walk down the streets, there isn't even a soft breeze. My thoughts return to the words I might say to Shion, about the truth that I've been hiding from her this entire time. My mind begins to drift elsewhere after thinking that, drifting back toward the boy back in the orphanage. The ones I once worked for, they want Abel too. I can't allow either of them to be taken by 'them,' I can't allow 'them' to take anyone else I care about. My head begins to hurt from these thoughts now; the fact that I've already let Miang fall into their hands is something my mind refuses to comprehend. The two of us have already done so much to hurt each other, I can't bear to face my sister once again, I can't...

"Hello, my darling," a whisper breathes down my neck.

"Miang?" I realize the headache was not from my thoughts.

I feel her fingers beginning to crawl up my arm, the cold yet silky feel of her skin makes my body tense. Her body begins to press against my back now, the tension in my knees feels like it could break the bones with another touch. Her hand continues to glide upwards, traveling up my shoulder and neck. My breath becomes short as it moves across my cheek, finally stopping at the base of my chin. A slight push of her hand moves my face toward hers, my eyes meeting with her ocean blue pupils. My vision slips downward after gazing into her irises for a few moments.

A dark blue ribbon wraps around her neck as well as a necklace similar to Shion's. She wears a tube top with a zipper running down the middle of the same color, one that's small enough to only cover her breasts. The top also has a black collar-like piece that bends outward, the material highlighting the roundness of her bust. She wears matching long sleeves that run down from the biceps of her arms and stop at her wrist, but her fingers are free from any rings or gloves. The matching skirt she wears is a bit longer than her top, but only by an inch, but there is some fabric that hangs down the sides that dangles close to her knees. The boots that go with her outfit look like leg warmers at first, but the buttons on the front give it away. My eyes turn back to her face, finding the dull blue hair on her forehead parted and the mark of "KOS-MOS" still labeled there.

"The glasses are a nice touch," she compliments my accessory. "You truly do grow more and more like our mother everyday."

It is then that I move myself away from her, reminded of what she tried to do earlier. The grip of my left hand tightens around the sheath of my sword now, my right hand ready to draw it at any moment. Like earlier however, I find myself unable to attack; this feeling of not wanting to harm her despite what she's done has returned. Just looking further into her eyes loosens the grip on my weapon, we both know I can't bring myself to do it under these circumstances.

"I can't blame you for your reaction," my sister speaks. "I haven't been the best big sister, I've put you and Mother through hell because of my selfish actions."

"What about your actions now, Miang?" I ask. "Are they your own?"

"As I said before, I owe a debt to the one who brought me into this plane," she speaks. "We all have things we are obligated to do in life, do we not, Elly?" she continues. "As a weapon, I must follow the orders given to me by my superiors."

"Miang I can understand what it is you're going through, but at the same time, I must say this!" I begin to raise my voice. "The only one who can truly make a decision in your life is you, yourself! Look at me, Miang, was it someone else's decision that made me cry for you? No, it was my own! Was it someone else who ordered me to care for Shion and the others? No, I chose to! Miang, the only one who can keep you bound to this duty you supposedly have to fulfill is yourself! So please, Miang, stop lying to yourself that you can't make a decision, every individual has the power to do so."

"That idealistic attitude, it was brought upon you by her, wasn't it?" an unfamiliar voice begins to echo in the facility.

A bright light begins to shine in the sky now, the illumination blinding me. The light begins to ascend toward the ground, a figure slowly forming as it floats to Miang's side. The moment the figure's feet meet with the floor, the light begins to disappear. A hooded and masked individual stands in front of me now. I have never seen this individual before, but his appearance, it is exactly the same as that individual we encountered in the Song of Nephilim after Albedo escaped, except that the color of his clothes are different. Again I prepare to draw my sword, intuition tells me that this person is one of the ones responsible for making Miang the way she is right now.

"So we finally meet in person, Elly," the man in red addresses me by my name.

"How do you know my name?" I demand, my thoughts still focused on cutting this man apart. "Who are you?"

"Who? I am one that lies between the planes of life and death," his answer leaves me puzzled. "Or do you need a name to describe me? How do I know your name you ask? One vital to our existence is very well known."

"You're a Testament!" I draw my sword, realizing his identity.

"Elly, don't...," my sister tries to order, only to be silenced with a brush of the cloaked man's hand.

"Is this the reason for your existence?" the man questions. "If it is so, show me the will that propels you, show me how you live."

My instincts take over the moment he finishes speaking, my body not giving him a single break after his speech. My legs propel me forward with all my strength, the wind screaming as the edge of my blade slices through it. The image of my opponent draws closer and closer, more and more of my strength focusing into my arms as his mask comes clearer in view. Finally I swing my blade upward with every ounce of vigor in my body, the titanium edge tearing through the air once more. The tip of the sword begins to meet with the material of his cloak, but before I can push the weapon any deeper, the blade is knocked back by an invisible force. I am baffled at this sudden deflection for a mere second, my arms instinctively going for another swing shortly after. The result is exactly the same, so I try a third and then fourth strike, each one also ending in failure. I follow with a final slash, this one an overhead swing that slashes downward. The blade stops an inch directly above his head after I swing, but unlike the previous attempts, my arms are unable to move my sword away despite how much I pull. Before I know it, I feel a strong gust suddenly pressing against my abdomen and my entire self being pushed against the nearest wall. A jolt of pain passes through my entire body the moment my back meets with the surface, my body aching further the moment it meets with the ground after.

'What was that?' I think to myself. 'How can he deflect all of my attacks without even lifting a finger?'

The sound of crackling begins to faintly enter my ears, the smell of smoke enter my nose shortly after. My gaze returns to my opponent to find a flame emitting in his palm, the small fire burning brighter and brighter with every second that passes. He raises his entire arm in the air then bringing it toward the ground in a swift fashion. The fire frees itself from his hand now, causing a blast the moment it meets the surface. I push all of my weight to my side upon witnessing the sudden attack, barely rolling out of harm's way as I do so. I return to my feet shortly after to find him readying another blast. Again it crawls through the pavement in a rapid fashion but this time I prepare to counter the attack.

"La so lu te ve ta!" I counter with an ether spell of my own with my free hand.

The two energies quickly collide with each other in the center of their paths. The flame and the aura ether I had cast wrestle with one another, neither gaining the advantage over the other. Slowly my ether begins to push forward, the flame that was cast beginning to slowly push back. More and more my enemy's attack falls backward and faster and faster it returns to him. Finally the force of my attack breaks through, hurling toward my enemy with incredible speed. Before my attack can meet with my opponent however, another enters the fray.

"La so lu te ve ta!" my sister counters with the same attack.

"Miang?"

Her attack has caught me off guard, but that is the least of my worries. Her ether blast is more powerful than mine, it's already pushed our attacks to the center once more. My strength is beginning to drain already, I don't know the reason for why her power is much stronger than my own, we're supposed to be equals in ether.

"Is this all you can do?" the man in red taunts. "Is this the pinnacle of your existence? You disappoint me, Elly. This can't be all of your power, can it?"

He's right, I'm holding back, but only because I don't want to cause any damage in the vicinity. The time I saved the Elsa and the Durandal from the legions of Gnosis, do I have to draw that power once again to save my own life. My sister, I see the sadness in her eyes once again, how the tears start to fall from them. She tries to lock away those emotions, shutting her eyes to prevent the floods from falling further, but they are of little use. Seeing her like this causes me to break down as well, but I have no intention of backing down either. For the sake of Shion, Abel, and my other friends, I can't lose!

"La so lu te ve ta!" I scream once more, unleashing even more of my power.

The two blasts grow once more, the streams growing as large as the structures that surround us. The air around us begins to grow very violent, the gusts of wind starting to cut our skin. The pavement below our feet begins to crack, the uneven surface beginning to break through the material of my shoes. The people in the buildings around us awaken now, each of them quickly leaving their homes in their pajamas without any of their other belongings. Their voices and screams begin to echo above the sound of our attacks, the image of these people panicking not once leaving my eyes. The sound of the Foundation's alarm echoes above everything now as the civilians brush past us, but neither my sister, the red-cloaked man, nor myself move.

Something's not right, my intuition is telling me I did something wrong in all of this, and not morally wrong for that matter. The tides of ether begin to break away from the stream that holds them; two streams blast off into two different directions, each one blasting a large hole in a different apartment complex. Within seconds the upper halves of the complexes give way, toppling onto the streets below. It is now that I have realized my mistake. The moment either of us give out in our attack, the blast will break through the one that loses and destroy a large portion of the Kukai Foundation with it. The only way to stop this scenario from happening is for the two of us to stop using our power at the same time, but at the rate Miang is going, she won't...

I'm sorry, Shion, I wanted to have a future for just the two of us, but now, it doesn't look like either of us, or anyone living here, can have a future...

* * *

(Wilhelm's POV) 

The two halves of order are fighting once again. Miang and Elly, the ones born with the mark of "KOS-MOS," the ones who have the power of determining the fate of this universe. Theirs is a cruel destiny; the path to salvation rests in their hands, but only one of them will be strong enough to lead the people down this path.

"Two external sources have hacked into the Quarantine Hangar!" the image of the compass changes to the bridge of the Durandal and its crew. "Unable to cut off the link between the hackers and the Emulators!"

"Cut off the main lines to the hangar, make sure neither of the sources can hack in through a secondary line!" the young captain orders his crew.

"Nothing happened, the unknown sources are still able to make requests to the Zohars. Whatever's causing this it can't be stopped!" one of the young realians panics.

"Little Master, Sectors twenty-six and twenty-seven of the Foundation are currently in a state of panic," the violet-haired woman at the hair reports, "a battle has broken out on Main Street."

"The Gnosis now, that can't be!" the U.R.T.V. exclaims.

"It's not the Gnosis," another realian says, "I'll put it on the monitor."

"KOS-MOS?"

"We've located the hackers, their located in Sector twenty six of the Foundation."

"Zohar power levels are no longer able to be suppressed, at this rate, their energy will destroy the Quarantine Hangar within five minutes, the rest of the ship within thirty."

The Kukai Foundation, they were a valuable part of helping me create my industry into what it is today, however, I'm afraid I have no more use for them. All of them have played their role perfectly, but now it's time for their final act. Do not worry though, your sacrifice shall not be in vain, yours will be another step to the salvation of your species. Isn't that right, KOS-MOS?

"Show me," the vision of the two halves appear on the compass once more, "show me the reason for which you were created. Show me your soul, show me the fruits of what we've been longing for this past eternity, show me how you live. Show me... Show me your true awakening!"

* * *

XenoMark's Note: Phew, that was really hard to do. Sorry about the chapter being slow, I hope it gave some new insights on the characters (at least for this fic) and helped show you where they were coming from, along with introducing a few new mysteries to the story. In any case, there's one thing I keep forgetting to talk about for those who haven't played Xenogears; the topic of who Miss Yui is exactly. In Xenogears, Yui was the wife of Citan Uzuki (not related to the Uzuki siblings of Xenosaga, though Jin does bear a striking resemblance of him). Basically, the Yui in this fic is an homage to her, as well as her last name, Hyuga (Hyuga is the real first name of Citan Uzuki, his full real name being Hyuga Ricadeau). Many things about Yui is an homage to the character from Xenogears. Aside from that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are appreciated, but the team and I hate flames as you know. Well I hope you guys look forward to the next chapter, see ya! 


	5. Complications

XenoMark's Note: Not sure what to say really, but there's a few things I've gotten some questions about from some readers so I'll take the time to answer them now. In the last chapter, Jin referred to a beam of light of sorts when heading to Labyrinthos, that light being the Song of Nephilim. Some readers have asked me why Jin didn't hear the actual song whereas Shion can. I'm afraid I can't answer that question right now as it will ruin part of the plot for future chapters. Another question I got was if Allen knows about Shion and Elly's relationship. Unfortunately he doesn't; in fact the only ones in the main party who know that Shion and Elly are intimate are MOMO and Jin. The reason why most of the characters don't know is because Shion wants to gradually reveal their relationship to the others (read chapter 4 of "Warm" as reference to this statement), but Elly voluntarily told MOMO and Jin about their relationship (see chapters 2 and 4 of "Bound" for this). I should also note that there has been an edit in this chapter for the version of this fic, check out the uncut version at under my other pen name, cbman. As usual, the events in this fic are going to be a lot different from that of the Xenosaga 2 game. In any case, that should clear up some of the questions I've got, so let's get back to the fic.

Shi's Note: I'm supposed to add something here so you guys know that XenoMark's not alone in this. Don't have much to say other than it's fantastic being able to peek into his thoughts and ideas and see what brilliant schemes he comes up with. I hope you like the newest chapter and I hope even more that we get comments and opinions from you all! Until next time.

* * *

Chapter 5: Complications

(Miang's POV)

This standstill has gone on for two minutes now, just three more and the Quarantine Hangar of this ship will be destroyed. The shockwave of Ether created by my sister and I is not moving at all, neither of us is gaining the advantage over the other. My limbs begin to drop as do hers; using the Zohar Emulators to amplify our powers is starting to take its effect on our bodies. I know that Elly does not want to harm me intentionally, but at the same time, I know she won't back down for the sake of our mother and the people of this ship. I feel the same way, but I can't back down from my orders because of the man that observes our battle, the Testament in red.

The entire street has begun to crack now, all of the remaining civilians are in a state of panic. The streams that escaped our predicament have toppled several more buildings within the vicinity, but none of the buildings have taken any lives. My sister wears an angered expression on her face, I can tell that she's using all of her strength to combat me. I try to keep a blank look on mine as well, but that emotion changes with what I see next. Tears have begun to escape my sister's eyes. It is now that emotions begin to take over again; I've done enough damage, to my sister's emotions and to the city around me.

"Elly, I..."

"Don't stop," my leader orders me.

Just the sound of his voice makes me continue my attack, my emotions suppressing with the sound of his order. No matter what I want to do, no matter how I truly feel, it's his word that is above everything else, it's his word that controls everything I feel and do. My sister's aura beam begins to give away now, my attack is slowly gaining the upper hand as it pushes her back. I feel the power of her Ether beginning to drain, now is my chance to overpower her. I don't overpower her however, my power begins to hold back again as another enters the fight.

"Elly, don't!" the individual clings onto my sister.

"Mother?" I quickly recognize the person.

"Stop this, both of you!" she orders, streams rolling down her face. "Elly, Miang, stop trying to hurt each other," she says, burying her face into my sister's shoulder. "I know you both want to make peace with each other after everything that's happened, but this isn't the way to do that!" she raises her voice. "Just seeing the two of you like this, it's just like four days ago when you were trying to kill each other. I don't want to lose either of you again, so please, both of you, just stop, stop fighting for my sake!"

"Shion...," my sister turns her attention to her.

"Mother...," I begin to lower my power.

"I'm afraid neither one of them can afford to stop," my master interrupts, "theirs is a destiny that will lead Mankind toward its salvation."

"Salvation?" my mother looks to him, confused. "What are you talking about? Who decided this? How can it be their destiny when they haven't even chosen to follow through with it!"

"Destiny is not something you can choose, Shion," he answers. "Each of us have roles that have been given to us since birth and we all have no choice but to follow through with it."

"Follow through...? No, that's not true, each of us can make a difference, we just have to make a choice to...," Mother tries to speak.

"Destiny is unavoidable, no matter what choices you make," my superior says. "Look at the half of KOS-MOS on your side; she tried her best to fight her destiny, trying to become something she can never be, a human. I've seen how hard you've tried to save her, how you tried to use your heart to change her. Tell me, is that the very same heart that tried to save your parents, the same heart that tried to save your first love?" he asks, my mother responding only with silence. "Of course it was, all you've been looking for your entire life was for someone to fill the gap of loneliness, trying to fill the space your parents left in your heart by being with someone, anyone that was close to you."

"That's not...!" my mother tries to defend yourself.

"Look at how hard you cling onto the half of KOS-MOS beside you, how hard you try to save her and yourself from your inner demons," my master continues. "You raised her as your daughter, but you let your inner demons get the best of you once more, using her to try and fill the void of loneliness. Did you think you can fill the loss of your family and lover by making a partner with the qualities of both?"

"I... I didn't..."

"You are at a loss of words. Still, it doesn't matter what you did, in the end, she will still follow through with her fate. No matter what you do, you can never alter destiny, the only thing you can do is accept it. Look at my half of KOS-MOS, she accepts her destiny. Did it have to do with the fact that no one raised her as if she were a child? Did it have to do with the fact that the one she loved never returned her feelings? Whatever the case may be, she did nothing to go against her destiny, and just like her other half, here she is, fighting against her once more. Destiny is unavoidable, it is inevitable. Now my child, finish them, fulfill the role you were given," he orders me.

"Yes sir," I find myself following his orders.

The stream of Ether pushes closer toward my mother and sister, my orders taking priority over my emotions. I know of the pain it will cause me after I fulfill this command, but regardless, his word is above all else, despite how big the consequences are later. My sister's strength is entirely used up now, the surge of ether ready to strike my family down at any moment. I'm sorry Elly, I'm sorry Mother, but this is my fate, this is the role that I have been given.

The blast of aura surges toward the two of them, the onslaught ready to eat away at their bodies. I close my eyes to hide the sight of their deaths, but my ears are still open to their screams. No, that's not their screams, it's another's. In an instant, my eyes open once more, my arms moving the attack toward the direction of the source. A piece of debris is falling toward a small individual, one I don't know. My body automatically reacts, diverting my attack toward the piece of debris, destroying it in an instant. The stream of Ether disappears shortly after, dispersing before it can strike the ceiling of the Kukai Foundation.

"Miang, what are you doing?" my superior asks.

His voice becomes deaf to me in the next passing seconds. The rest of the scenery seems to disappear as well, my attention focused only on the one I saved. This boy, who is he, why did I feel obligated to save him. Long brown hair with eyes of the same shade, somewhat tanned skin, he looks familiar. Abel? Yes, that must be the boy I was sent to capture earlier. I should take this opportunity to capture him, but something is holding me back. A voice... I hear a voice, one I've never heard before, but it feels familiar when I hear it. Everything becomes blank as I hear this laughter, everything disappears except the sound of that voice.

It's the sound of a young child's laughter that I hear. A face comes into my mind shortly after, a very young and youthful face. It's a child, a very young child, no older than three years old. More images appear now; trees, a large field of grass, dandelions everywhere. I can smell the flowers now, as well as the feel of the wind as it blows through my hair. The child runs through the grass as fast as he can, nearly tripping with each step he takes. His laughter grows louder and louder with every step he takes, I can't help but smile as I watch my son.

My son? When did I have a child? What are these other things I'm starting to remember. Go to the groceries, prepare fried mackerel for dinner, read Abel a story before going to bed, since when did such insignificant things come to mind? No, this isn't me, these can't be my memories. Just what is...?

"Don't go too far, Abel," I tell him, my lips unwavering from my smile.

"Okay, Mommy."

Mommy? Why is it that the word brings me comfort? Why is it that I feel happy as I watch this child frolic through the field? No, it's not just happiness, I feel concerned, worrying about if something will happen to him at any moment. I don't understand this feeling, I don't understand any of this, I just don't understand...

"Mommy, look what I can do!" the child cries as he jumps an inch off the ground, only to fall down after.

"Oh my gosh, Abel!" I hurry to the child's aid. "Are you okay?" I ask deep with concern as I pick him off the floor.

"Yes Mommy," he smiles.

The scenery suddenly changes after I see his smile, the area suddenly transforming into a kitchen I have never seen before. The room is simple in design, the plants on the window next to the sink keep it from looking entirely plain. The smell of vegetables boiling is apparent in my nose, as is the sound of boiling of water. I find myself washing the dishes, my concentration dwindling away from the chore as a small tug falls upon my apron.

"Mommy," I find the boy once again at my side, "can I have a snack?"

"I'm sorry, Abel," I smile at the child, "but dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"But I want a snack!" he whines.

"All right," I sigh. "Just one piece of candy is all you get, all right," I reach for a piece of chocolate in my apron's pocket.

"Okay," the boy says with a smile on his face.

This feeling again, it's just like what I felt back in the fields. There's something about him, something about his voice, no, his very presence, it catches my attention. Every time he wants something, I feel obligated to fulfill his wishes. No, obligation isn't the right word, I don't know how to describe this feeling. All I know is that this feeling makes me want to do anything he wants as long as it will make him smile.

The scene changes once again after, this time I find myself in the doorway of what appears to be Abel's room. At the end of the room I find Abel, tucked in tightly in his bed and sleeping soundly. I can't help but smile as I watch him, but that smile soon melts away as I walk to the living room.

"The boy will be turning four in a few months, correct?" my guest asks as he sits on the couch.

"Yes," I nod.

"At long last, we can begin," he says, brushing away a single strand of white hair away from his face.

My fingers can't help but curl into a fist upon hearing his words, my teeth beginning to bite down on one another as well. The way he spoke about my son, no, just the fact that he mentioned him has made me angry. A part of me wants to just throw my guest out the door like yesterday's garbage, but a feeling of obligation is holding me back.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm afraid I can't go along with it any longer," I tell him, doing my best to keep my temper in check.

"What?"

"I'm saying that I don't want to go through with your plan anymore," I repeat myself.

"Do you know what you're saying?" he asks. "You've been very supportive of our plan since the very beginning," he reminds me, "why did you suddenly change you mind, Elhaym? Or should I say, Ne..."

"I don't go by that name now!" I stop him. "I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore! I know I was very supportive of your plan in the very beginning, but I... I can't do it, and I can't let you use my son for your own selfish ambitions!"

"Selfish?" he says calmly. "My dear, you said it yourself, our ambitions are anything but selfish, if anything it's for the greater good of Mankind."

"It was different back then," I tell him. "How can you truly judge them if you haven't done anything to try and understand them. You and the others may have been able to assimilate into their way of life, but you did nothing to try and learn to understand why they live their lives the way they do like I have."

"It's a shame you feel this way, Elhaym," my guest says as he gets off his seat. "But no matter, it is the boy's destiny after all, he will come to us at some point."

"I won't let that happen!" I tell him.

"Still going by the notion that 'a tiny ripple may one day create a huge wave?'" he asks. "That was always one subject we can never agree on. Very well, I shall leave the boy with you for now, but remember this, he will be ours one day, regardless of what you try to do."

"What is all of this?" I find my palms beginning to press against my face.

"Miang, hurry and finish them!" my superior's words echo in my ears once more.

Slowly my palms fall down to my sides, but my eyes remain locked on the boy I had saved not too long ago. He continues to stare at me as well, my reflection mirrored back from his chocolate brown eyes. A smile stretches across the boy's face when he realizes our eyes have locked, my body paralyzing completely the moment they do so.

"Mother, is that you?" I hear his voice in my head. "It is you, Mother!"

Again I hear his voice echoing through my head, calling me "Mother" every time. His words grow louder and louder in my head with every second that passes, the title he has given me ready to break my eardrums. I try to shield my eyes away from him by closing them, but it does nothing to silence his voice.

"Stop it!" I begin to scream in an attempt to stop his calls.

"Miang...?" my mother and sister look at me puzzled.

"Stop calling me that!" I continue to cry. "Leave me alone! Just stop...!"

The vision of flames appears before my eyes now, the smell of burning vegetation and wood fills my nose. I find myself running, but I'm already finding it almost impossible to move my legs. I look down to find my child wrapped in my arms as I carry him, and I look back to find several violet-uniformed men chasing after us. The sound of bullets and the squeezing of triggers echoes about the sound of the inferno behind us, the projectiles barely missing my body. Every second the shots grow closer and closer to us, but I try to push myself further and further. Suddenly a jolt of pain rushes up my leg and I find myself no longer running. My entire body falls forward after the shock, my face meeting with the uneven surface beneath all of the grass. I look back to find the men drawing closer, I know there is nothing more I can do.

"Abel, run!" I order the child in my arms.

"But Mother...!"

"Live, Abel, live!" I order in desperation. "No matter what happens, you must live! I... I'll find you. Mommy will find you again one day, but for now, run! Run away!"

"Run...," I say in the present. "Abel... ru..."

"Miang, what...?" my mother is left confused.

"Run Abel!" my body instinctively reacts. "Run!"

"I see, I should have known that...," the Testament is suddenly interrupted.

My sister immediately launches forward with her remaining strength now, charging toward my cloaked master. I do nothing to stop her, my attention focused on the boy as he is carried off by a woman with cinnamon brown hair. I turn back to my superior to find him engaged with Elly, an invisible barrier once again standing between him and her sword. Without moving his body at all, he sends my sister in the direction from which she came, sending her to the floor immediately. His form quickly stands beside me after, his cloak held in front of me, hiding my vision away from my family.

"We'll postpone this act for now," he says, "but the curtain shall rise once more in the near future."

And with that, the scenery around me begins to disappear, my entire body once again engulfed in darkness. Though the color of black is the only thing I see before my eyes, my mind continues to see the young boy I had saved. Abel, why do I worry so much about a boy I had never personally met? Why?

"There will be a time when you shall know why," a voice echoes within the darkness.

"Master Wilhelm?"

"You have done well, Miang," his form suddenly appears before me.

"My apologies, sir, I know it wasn't in my orders to..."

"That was part of our plan as well, Miang," he explains. "To tell you the truth, the Testaments were also unaware of the true purpose of this mission. The reason why you were sent to the Kukai Foundation was not to destroy it, but to make contact with the boy, which you have done successfully. Though it was brief, you have completed the first step toward your true awakening, and thus, end the first scene of the final act."

Something feels different as I speak to Master Wilhelm. In the past I felt very relaxed and calm when I saw him, but now, just the sound of his voice begins to stir something inside me. This feeling of fire that flows through my veins, the desire to rip every bone out of his body, since when did I feel so much anger and hatred toward him? Even that calm expression on his face is beginning to annoy me, but I do not know why.

"Is there a problem, Miang?" Master Wilhelm suddenly asks.

"Nothing's wrong, sir," I answer, "nothing's wrong."

'Everything feels wrong,' I secretly think to myself.

* * *

(Shion's POV) 

Destiny is unavoidable, no matter what choices you make. Why was it that my heart jumped with every word he said when he spoke with me? It wasn't just the words that did that, it was something else. The tone, the pitch, everything about his voice has stirred something within me. I can't place my finger on it, but there was something about that man that felt... familiar... No, I shouldn't be thinking such things, that man is the one who's manipulating Miang, I know it. So why, why am I feeling this way right now?

"Shion, are you all right?" I turn around to find Jr., chaos, and several medics running toward us.

"I'm okay, although..."

I turn my attention to my side to find my blue haired angel kneeling on the ground, her eyes locked on the pavement. She hasn't said a word or moved an inch ever since that man left. I try to place my hand on her shoulder so that I may help her back to her feet, but my hand quickly backs away when I see her eyes. The look of shock, I've never seen her wear this expression before, never in the time we've been together.

"Yo, KOS-MOS, you all right?" the Durandal's captain tries to ask, only to get silence as a response. "Hey KOS..."

"Don't...," she interrupts, her voice harsh, "don't call me that!"

"Huh, KOS-MOS, what...?"

"Don't call me by that name!" she repeats, her eyes glaring into Jr.'s.

"Did something happen?" chaos attempts to ask her.

"Don't you ever...," she continues, her tone still sharp, "label me as such anymore, do you understand!" Elly explodes.

This tone of voice, she never used this tone on any of us before. That sharp look in her eyes, how she balls her fingers into fists, for the first time I find myself scared when I look at her. She begins to push herself off the ground now, her body quickly turning away from all of us, not even giving us a single glance. She reaches for her sword on the ground now, slamming the end of it into the pavement with all her strength as she picks it up. My angel walks away now, completely ignoring all of us as we call out to her.

"Why is she angry all of a sudden?" Jr. wonders aloud. "If anything, I'm the one who should be pissed off, she practically destroyed the ship when she and her sister hacked into the Zohars."

"I'm sorry," I apologize for my lover. "Her sister and that man provoked her into doing so. I know she didn't mean to cause such a mess."

"I guess it's all right," the young captain says, "but I'm not sure how the rest of the Foundation will take it."

"Well I'm going to try and calm her down now. I'll make sure that we'll help out in rebuilding this section later."

I leave shortly after, running in the direction where Elly went. There's only one place my angel would go at a time like this, it's a place she's always gone whenever she's been feeling upset these last few days.

I find her in my room in the Residential Area of the Durandal. For the last few days, I always found her in my room in my house whenever she wanted to think or calm down, and this time was no different. She sits on our bed with her eyes glued to the floor and her fingers tightly balling the skirt of her dress. It's obvious she is still angry, the expression on her face hasn't changed since she left so abruptly. I stand there watching her for a few moments, carefully thinking about what I might say to calm her down. I find some words and I prepare to speak, hoping they don't cause her to snap at me.

"Elly, what's wrong?" I ask, preparing for the worst. "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Isn't it obvious what's bothering me?" she answers, her glaring eyes now turned toward me.

The sound of her voice paralyzes me, but the way it paralyzes me is different from how it did in the past. Fear, just the sound of her voice has scared me. I can feel sweat beginning to fall down my brow now, my throat suddenly becoming parched, and my heart jumping. My body instinctively begins to step backward, but I tell myself not to, that I have to stay here and try to calm her down. I bring my hand to the source of the beating in my chest and bring my feet together once again, gulping down some of the contents in my mouth to take away the dryness in my trachea.

"I know you're upset, that's why I was asking," I say, trying to regain my composure. "Elly, you know I'll always be there for you, and if you want to talk about what's upsetting you, I'm willing to listen."

"You mean you weren't listening earlier!" she explodes, jumping out of the bed in the process. "Didn't you hear what that man said!"

"Yes, I heard him," I nod. "But why should you take what he said seriously. Don't read into what he said, that man was probably just trying to confuse you, just as he did with Miang."

"Just what do you know?"

"That's enough, Elly!" I find myself yelling now. "Now you're just making me mad! Listen to yourself, you're upsetting yourself by dwelling on that man's words. This isn't like you to get angry over something so trivial."

"Trivial? Trivial! What do you know is trivial and not trivial, Shion! You obviously had no idea what he meant when he spoke those words! Or could it be that there was some truth to his words? Are you just using me, Shion? Am I just something to fill the gap of loneliness!"

"Now you're just being ridiculous! Is that what's really upsetting you? Elly, you know you mean everything to me, I would never use you just for that. I love you for who you are, nothing more, nothing less. So please, calm down."

"Shion... I...," my angel begins to calm down. "...sorry."

"It's okay," I tell her as I wrap my arms around her.

I walk her over to the bed now so that she may cool down some more. I take the seat beside her so that she may rest her head on my shoulder. She closes her eyes now and her breath grows slow; today has not been an easy day on her, the fatigue has finally caught up with her. Her head begins to fall off my shoulder shortly after, but my lap stops her from falling further. Her body begins to curl inward and her hand glides against my leg as her cheek snuggles against my lap. My angel smiles as she finds a comfortable spot, I can't help but run my hand down half her face. I smile as I watch her rest, just seeing her like this helps me relax too.

She looks so vulnerable as she rests on my lap, so peaceful. Her body begins to toss a little, almost like a baby in its crib. I continue to glide my palm down her cheek, her own lips stretching as I do so. My arm then wraps around her shoulders, cradling her form as I bring her mouth close to mine. Her breath tickles my skin when she exhales, her body turning again as she finds another comfortable spot on my body. I resume gliding my hand on her face now, her mouth barely opening as I slide the tips of my fingers against her lips. Her lips begin to move but her voice speaks no words. Her skin is as soft as ever, how I would like to taste her milk-hued skin at this moment.

"My little girl...," I whisper as she rests.

"What?" her eyes suddenly widen. "What did you say?"

The expression of anger has already returned, her cerulean blue eyes glaring into my own once more. Before I get a chance to explain myself, she pushes herself away from me and quickly returns to her feet. Her face scrunches at me for a moment, but that disgruntled changes into a tiny frown before she turns away from me.

"I see, it's just as he said," my lover says with a crack in her voice. "You're trying to make me into something with the qualities of a family member and a lover."

"What? Elly, that's not true, I...!"

"You called me your little girl!" she turns toward me again, tears running down the side of her face. "You're disgusting, you know that! Trying to satisfy yourself by trying to cradle me!"

"Elly, stop it!" I find myself yelling again. "It's true I tried to cradle you, but it's because I thought..."

"Thought what!" she interrupts me. "Thought that I was a child and needed you to put me to sleep? Do you think I can't raise myself, Shion!"

"That's not it. It's just that whenever we fell asleep together in the past, you always..."

"I always needed you to baby me, is that it! I'm not a child, Shion, I don't need you to treat me as such!"

"Elly, I'm not babying you," I explain. "It's true you are my daughter, but..."

"See, you admit that you treat me as a child!"

"Stop it, Elly! You're not listening to me!"

"No, I've heard enough," my lover turns toward the door. "I'm not spending the night with someone who just sees me a child. I'm my own person, Shion, you can't keep treating me like this. I don't think I can be with you if you continue to treat me as such."

"Elly, wait!" I quickly take hold of her hand.

Her arm begins to pry away from my grasp now, my fingertips starting to burn as they slip away from my angel's skin. They try to take hold of her wrist, but body slipping to the floor as I try to stop her. She does not stop, she continues to walk to the door as my hold of her wrist slips onto her hand. Again she continues to walk toward the exit, my grasp on her hand slipping further as it travels down to her fingers. The streams flowing from my eyes run as rapid as ever, my voice broken as I try and beg her not to leave me. She comes to a halt now, her sky blue eyes looking down at mine as I tug down on her arm. She closes her eyes after looking into my own and the tears stop. My lips begin to curl at this moment, but they slowly melt back to their previous state after seeing her eyes open once more.

"Goodbye, Shion."

There is little time for a break for the rivers washing from my eyes as my angel begins to move again, my fingers burning yet again as they slip from her own. The fingers and the space between us grows cold, the chill strengthening with every step. The scenery around us feels like it has disappeared as she stands before the door now, her eyes still averted away from me. Again I beg her not leave, but she does nothing to acknowledge my words. The door begins to open now and I cry even louder, my cries still doing nothing to stop her. She takes two more steps and the door begins to close, her form disappearing from my eyes as it shuts. She has left me without taking a moment to look back, my entire body now falling to the floor the moment I realize that. My now empty palms begin to press against my face in an attempt to block the floods that flow down my face, but it does nothing to patch my now broken heart. More and more rivers race down my cheeks as my whimpers break into loud cries, cries that call her name.

"Elly...," I call her name. "Elly," my voice grows louder. "ELLY!"

For the first time, she has left me on her own accord, not out of guilt, but out of anger, and for the first time in our relationship, I cry knowing that what she said was the truth. I always did treat her as a child up to this moment. I always did let her run to my arms and solve her emotional problems for her, I never did tell her to solve it herself. I did it because... because I didn't want her to get hurt, I didn't want to lose her. But that very reason has done the opposite now, my caring for her has torn her away from me once again. I only did it because I love her, but the reason for why I love her, I don't... I don't know why.

I never cared about why we fell in love until now, so why? Why am I thinking about this now? Love doesn't need a reason, does it, but when I think about what that man in the red cloak said, I can't help but ponder. Why did we fall in love? Is it just like that man said, or is it because... Because... I don't even know!

I continue to cry, the flow of the tears falling faster than before. My voice continues to cry her name, my voice dying into a whisper. My body grows heavy and everything goes black, but I continue to call her name, despite how quiet it may be.

"Elly..."

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

My body shivers at the touch of the air, my breath appearing as a small cloud the moment I exhale. The chill continues to crawl up my body, but I can do nothing to warm myself. I continue to stand with my legs straight and my arms directly at my sides. I've never had to stand at attention for so long in my life, but given the circumstances, it is understandable why they would keep me standing here for this long.

"The inquisition may now begin," a voice booms from the darkness in front of me. "Elhaym Van Houten, Student ID #453-29-0001 from the Jugend Military Academy, are you her?"

"Yes," I answer.

"You are aware of the charges pressed against you?" another voice asks.

"Yes, but I..."

"Three accounts of manslaughter, each one a fellow classmate in the academy," the voice continues. "Do you admit that you are responsible for these crimes? Do admit that you killed each of them out of hatred? Do you admit that it was your influence under the 'Drive' that..."

"No!" I shout, my hands covering my ears to silence their voices. "I didn't do anything!"

"Cadet Van Houten, what do you mean you didn't do it?" another officer asks. "The surveillance system at Jugend clearly captured the events that occurred and..."

"It wasn't me, can't you understand?" I interrupt once more, my knees falling to the floor.

"Of course it was you, Cadet!" the same voice yells. "There was no one else at the scene when other students and officers arrived. How do you explain that!"

"I didn't do it."

"How do you explain the lacerations all over those men's bodies then?" the same officer asks.

"I didn't do it."

"The blood was still fresh according to everyone that had arrived on the scene. Even your own palms and uniform were stained by the same fluids."

"I didn't do it...I didn't do it..."

"The limbs of the corpses of your fellow classmates were so cut up that we couldn't identify whom they belonged to or what they were. Some limbs were even gone, vaporized by your sudden..."

"I didn't do it!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

"How much longer are you going to lie to us, Cadet Van Houten!" another officer's voice asks impatiently. "Why won't you make it easier for yourself by taking responsibility for your actions! It's obvious that your Ether ability was what caused each of those men to die! Did you even consider how strong your power may be compared to theirs!"

"I'm...I'm not so strong," I try to calm down now, pushing myself back to my feet. "I had never... trained with Ether before, sirs, never during my time in Jugend, or anywhere else. For me to use a power unknown to me right now would be..."

"Perhaps the 'Drive' is what awakened your talents in Ether, didn't that ever occur to you?" another officer inquires.

"I'm not even all that talented," I admit, my head hanging low. "I have no real knowledge of Ether, nothing on how it works, much less how to cast it. I had no knowledge of combat whatsoever before coming to Jugend either, so..."

"We're not here to listen to your life story, Cadet," I find myself cut off again.

"We shall now take a moment to decide your sentence," another officer speaks.

I continue to stand in place and await my sentence, only to hear the officers from behind the darkness as they decide my fate.

"Were there any recorded past events that show the usage of mental enhancement drugs?" I overhear.

"No," another officer answers. "There were no records on mental enhancement drug use until now."

"Then it was sudden," a third concludes.

"She's probably a type that can't handle the 'Drive.'"

"That probably caused her lapse into delirium."

"And her loss of self control?"

"You mean an unconscious burst of pent up antipathy? But everyone has that."

"Is that why the innate ability is so high?"

"Yes... What did the Commander call those girls again? It's probably higher than they are."

"Then it's an instantaneous jump in numerical value."

"But we can't use her as a test subject in front of Erich."

"It's a pity we can't manage it...since there's so much potential."

I lose track of what they are saying now, my mind focusing on the previous statements they made. This innate ability that they're talking about, what is it they're referring to? These girls that they mentioned, could they be referring to the Elements, the title given to the best students of Jugend? And a test subject, was that supposed to be my sentence but can't be because my father is an official in the Gebler Forces? What is that they want with me exactly?

"We'll leave you to the bureau," one of the officers turns their attention back to me. "Stay at your residence until further notice. Don't worry! You have power worthy of the chosen one's. It's these weak people's fault for not being able to withstand your powers."

My eyes open now, and I awaken to find myself staring into an alien ceiling. That dream I just had, it was just as strange as the other ones I've had recently. All of these dreams are linked somehow, but I can't figure out how. All I can conclude right now is that I'm some sort of military officer in them and that there was an incident that may have involved my Ether ability going berserk. But how is it connected to my first dream where I was in the forest? This whole concept is just too strange for me, I shouldn't be thinking about things like this, there are more important things that should be on my mind.

"What am I doing here?" I look around to find myself in an unfamiliar room.

That's when I remember, remember the argument I had with Shion last night. She was treating me like a child, the way she always did. This never upset me in the past, but now, after what that Testament said, it does. I don't why it upsets me so much, but... No, I know why, it's because she thinks she can use me to as something to fill the gaps of the loss of her parents and Kevin, that's why!

After I left, I decided to get another room, one on the other side of the residential district so that I wouldn't see her. I would have preferred to stay at the hotel in the Foundation, but unfortunately my battle with Miang may have destroyed it. Then there's the issue of how the people on the Foundation would react to me after that battle, they wouldn't be happy with what my sister and I did.

I get up from my bed now and decide to head outside so that I may get some breakfast. I begin to make my way out of the district and onto the transport. The transport arrives the moment I enter the dock, masses of people walking in and out. I manage to push my way through the crowds and into the car, taking the closest seat I can to the door. The doors close shortly after and the train begins to move.

"Next time stop, Dining Area," the conductor announces over the intercom.

I sigh and push my back against the seat in an attempt to relax, but my mind cannot do so. I think back to that sudden attack on the Foundation last night, how it seemed so out of place in accordance to the Zohar Project. It's true that the Foundation was to be eliminated in the near future, but not this early. Something isn't right about it, the attack itself was so sloppy, they could've just sent in all of the Testaments and themselves to easily destroy this place. Perhaps it was a test of Miang's power, or... No, I mustn't think about that right now, if the Project is still in its first phase, I have to take this opportunity to...

"Good morning, Miss KOS-MOS."

I turn to the source of the greeting and find Shion's brother, Jin standing in front of me. He greets me with his usual smile, but the way he addressed me earlier causes me to glare. "KOS-MOS," I never really cared about that name until now, but now that name is used as a label to define my sister and me as weapons. It just angers me knowing that fact.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't call me by that name anymore," I tell him, trying my best to control my temper.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I address you as 'Miss Elly' from now on?" he corrects himself.

"That would be best."

"If you don't mind, may I accompany you to breakfast, there's something I'd like to talk with you about."

"...sure."

.-.

As expected, the dining area is very busy at this hour. I decide to take a seat in the corner of the facility so that I won't attract any attention to the other people. Naturally the entire vicinity is noisy as well, but for some reason, Jin does not add to that noise, despite the fact that he said he wanted to talk to me about something. Instead he focuses on the meal given to everyone here, a bowl of chicken soup and a cornbread muffin. I can't complain about the taste, I didn't even pay for it. This silence that passes over the two of us is making feel unsettled, maybe he's the type not to start a conversation, unlike his sister.

"You said there's something you wanted to talk with me about?" I ask.

"Yes there is," he answers as he pats his lips with a napkin. "It's something very important."

"What is it?"

"I know of your current relationship with my sister," he begins, "personally I find it a bit strange, but as long as she is happy, I will support the two of you."

"Is that all you wanted to talk with me about?" I question.

"No, Miss Elly, I haven't even gotten to my point," he answers. "Though I may support your relationship, there is one thing I definitely won't support."

"And what would that be?" his words catch my attention.

"The Zohar Project, how long did you think you could keep us hidden from all that?" he continues.

"How do you...?"

"You've been playing us all for fools, Miss Elly," he continues. "I know what your true intentions are. It all hit me when you suddenly appeared nearly a week ago, how you suddenly appeared near the shores of my house."

"That was...!" I try to explain.

"My sister cares for you deeply, you know that? Your mission, it presides over everything else, does it not? Was charming her a part of that mission as well? And Abel, I saw how you tried to win him over as well back at the orphanage and again at the hospital. Everything that's happened to my sister and her friends so far, everything that happened fourteen years ago on Miltia, everything that transpired in history since the evacuation from Lost Jerusalem, all of it was done according to your plans, wasn't it!" he raises his voice.

"I had nothing to...!"

"Of course you had nothing to do with all of it, you're just a pawn in this whole game, aren't you? Just like the rest of us, you're just another piece in what your superiors have in store for the universe. My sister and her former lover created you to destroy the Gnosis, but I know that was never your true purpose. You were created primarily to..."

"Stop it!" I order. "Just stop it. I don't want to talk about this."

"Then tell me what is going on," Jin orders, as calm as ever. "If you truly do care for my sister and Abel, then you will tell me everything you know so we can prevent..."

"You expect me to tell you everything after how you just spoke to me!" I push myself out of my seat. "Even if I were to tell you everything, you think you can just change everything and save the day? Things aren't that simple, they're much more complicated then you can ever imagine."

I've had enough of talking with Jin, just the sound of his voice has returned my frustration from last night. I take my sword which rests against the table and begin to make my way out of the area, only to bump into another I didn't want to run into.

"Elly?" Shion tries to greet me before I make my way to the door.

"Good morning, Shion, or should I say, 'Mother?'" I say in a sarcastic tone as I brush past her.

"Elly, don't do this again, please," she begs.

"Your brother's a jerk, you know that!" I tell her as I leave.

The nerve of the two of them! Both of them demanding something out of me and expecting me to just give it to them. How did he know about the Zohar Project? What makes him think he can just go off on me like that? He had no right to accuse me of doing anything! It's true that I may have had some involvement in the past, but now... Now I want nothing to do with it. Destiny, the mark of KOS-MOS, why did it have to be me that had to be pulled into all of this? Why is all of this suddenly catching up with me? I thought I could escape all of it after everything I experienced this past week, but now even the people I have grown close to are pushing me toward that path again! Well I won't let them, I won't let them force me back into that way of life, I won't let them treat me like a child, and most of all, I won't let them control me anymore!

I make my way to the hangar now, if the rest of the Project is still going to their original plan, then it isn't too late to stop them. The E.S. Dinah, for some reason the Kukai Foundation decided to take it with them after the incident yesterday at the hospital. I remember the technicians saying that it can travel through hyper space without the aid of the U.M.N., and if that's the case, then I should be able to reach the first destination of the Project with no problems. Wait, why should I do this though? This isn't my problem anymore, after how Shion and Jin treated me, why should I do this for their sakes?

"Elly, Elly, Elly!" a familiar voice stops me.

"Abel?" I turn around to find the young boy running toward me. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time to really talk right now," I apologize as he stops in front of me..

"Why?" he asks.

"I'm very busy right now. I have to go somewhere."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I have something I have to do," I tell the boy, turning my back toward him..

"Something to do? What? What is it, Elly?"

The boy acts so innocent, so naive of everything that is going on. I can't blame him, one his age shouldn't have to deal with the weight upon my shoulders. He is lucky that he was born like this, born in a life where he gets to choose his life, where he can choose to do whatever he wants. I sigh as I realize this fact, I can't help but envy him, having the ability to choose.

"It's something I was born to do," I answer.

"Huh?"

"I have to go somewhere to do something important," I repeat myself. "It means a lot to me."

"Where is this place you have to go?"

"...it's far away, very far away."

"Will you come back when you're done?"

Will I come back, does it even matter if I come back? Do I even want to come back when this is all through? Those arguments I had with Shion and Jin, I'm letting them get to me, why am I suddenly realizing this now? Still, after my revelation with Shion, I don't know if I can go back to her so easily, but... This child, why is it that when I just look at him I see my own immaturity? I don't know the answer, but there is one thing I do know now.

"I'll come back," I turn back toward the boy.

"Really?" his eyes light up.

"Yes," I nod, putting my best smile on my lips, "I'll come back."

"Promise?" he asks, holding his pinky toward me.

"I promise," I answer, wrapping my pinky with his, "I promise that I'll come back."

'I'll come back so I can learn what it is that allows you to make me think more clearly,' I think to myself.

.-.

The entire cockpit begins to hum now, the lights of the control panels beginning to illuminate in seconds. The screen before me activates now, revealing the rest of the hangar. I turn the camera of my machine to the walkway below to check on the guards, all of whom were hesitant to let me take back the E.S. Dinah. Naturally they tried to stop me through force, but I was able to easily knock each of them out with my sword still sheathed. None of the guards have regained consciousness yet luckily, so far everything is going well.

My fingers begin to push against the different keys on the control panel closest to my right hand, each key clicking or beeping after pressing them down. The entire cockpit begins to rise now, I know that my E.S. is beginning to stand now. My left hand begins to type on the panel closest to my left now, pushing a different sequence of keys as causing the entire unit to shake. The shaking stops shortly, the transformation to flight mode has ended successfully. I turn my attention to the last control panel above my head, pushing two more buttons so that the gate for the hangar may open. I move my craft through the first set of doors and quickly close the ones behind me. I punch in a different sequence in the top control panel and the second gate begins to open.

"Hey, what are you doing!" the Durandal's captain's voice screams through the communications line. "Who's down there?"

"I'm sorry, Jr.," I tell the young captain, putting his face on one of the monitors, "but I have a mission to carry out."

"What, what do you mean?" he asks. "KOS-MOS, what the hell are you...?"

"I told you never to label me as such again!" I find my anger suddenly returning with that name. "Look, this doesn't involve you or the Kukai Foundation any longer. This is something I have to resolve by myself! Over and out," I cut the line.

The second gate fully opens now and the dark abyss of space greets me with its many stars and blackness. I almost find myself overwhelmed as I stare into the never-ending black ocean, but the feel of the controls and seat in my craft reminds me that I need not fear being sucked in. I take in another breath and wrap my fingers around the control sticks of the E.S., ready to take off at any moment until another voice on the communications line stops me.

"Elly, stop it!" it is the voice of Shion. "What are you doing? I don't know what you're thinking, but please, come back here."

"Shion...," I find myself torn by my emotions from last night once again. "I can't go back," I tell her, keeping my emotions in check. "Like I told Jr., this is something I have to do. I can't let any of you get involved anymore, I'm sorry."

"Involved anymore? Elly, what are you...?"

"I can take care of myself," I tell her, "I don't need to keep running to you whenever I'm distressed. That's all I've been doing this past week. Whenever I felt upset or anything, I would always cry and run to you. I realize now that I really am nothing but a child if I continue to let you and the others solve all my problems. When you lectured to me how I crushed your heart back on the Elsa, I ran to chaos; when I argued with you that you didn't care anymore, I ran to MOMO; and when Miang was still inside me, I always ran to you. I can't keep running anymore, Shion, I don't want to burden any of you like that anymore, I have to learn how to deal with my own problems by myself. I'm sorry, Shion, but I... I...," I find myself at a loss for words. "When I come back, I'll tell you everything, I promise," are the only words I can say. "And Shion, I'm sorry about earlier and last night. Goodbye, Shion."

"Elly, wait! Please do...," I silence the rest of her voice with the touch of a button.

"I truly am sorry, Shion," I apologize once more, "there's been so much I've hidden from you and the others for so long, and all of you were always there for me when I needed you, but now it's my turn to watch out for all of you."

After saying my final words, I push in the final launch code into the control panels. The Hyper Space Travel function is activated now, the entire space around me disappearing in seconds, replacing itself with a bright flash. The flash lasts in the span of a blink and I find the entire area foreign to me now. There is no sign of any planets or anything close by, the only things my monitor and radar detect are two blackholes closely aligned with one another. This is it, the place described in my original orders.

"Ormus Control, do you read me, Ormus Control?" I send out a transmission to the surrounding area.

"This is Ormus Control," a voice responds after several moments. "Identify yourself or we will open fire."

The space between the blackholes begins to peel away now, revealing a giant swirling top-like structure. Many battleships surround the stronghold, along with dozens of fleets of A.M.W.S. and A.G.W.S. units. There's no way my craft can stand up to all of these machines alone, but it wasn't my intention to just come invading with these kinds of odds.

"This is KP-X, abbreviated name: KOS-MOS, Serial Number: 00-00-00-00-1, of the Zohar Project," I transmit my identity, doing my best to hold back my anger upon saying that title. "Transmitting personal data."

I send the data through the communications line. There shouldn't be any problems, even if I am human now, my personal data is the same for the most part, I doubt they'll check for anything like vital signs. After waiting for several moments, the fleet's weapons are lowered and several A.M.W.S. craft come over to my machine.

"Data accepted," one of the craft says, "we will now escort you into the premises."

The stronghold itself doesn't look like a military base at all, if anything it looks like a giant cathedral inside. The halls and rooms that I pass and travel through are dimly lit, each individual that I pass wear some sort of dark purple cloak and hood. The sound of prayer echoes throughout the entire stronghold, nearly every individual I pass is kneeling on the floor with their hands pushing against one another as they look at some sort of cross-like mural.

"In here," my guides stop in front of a pair of large doors. "His Holiness awaits you."

The doors open now, revealing to me another large room. This room is just as dimly lit as the others, but the room itself is more open. Many bench-like seats are aligned in columns throughout the area, as well as many murals. In the center of the front of the room I find a giant podium with the sect's cross on it, along with a large book resting on it. Behind the podium is an elder man, his voice barely projecting the words written in the scripture before him. Those long white robes, the cap covering the back of his head, the signs of the highest rank in the Ormus Sect, there's no doubt about it, this is the Patriarch.

"Your Holiness," my guides and I approach the man, "the KOS-MOS unit from Vector has just arrived."

"Very well," the elder man says, turning his attention away from his reading, "you may leave us now."

The guides leave us now and I find myself alone with this man. My hand shakes as I stand before this man, the desire to just draw my sword and finish him now continues to pick at my brain. I decide not to, because the guides may still be outside and waiting for us. Instead I lower my sword, placing it on the ground as I kneel before the man.

"You are the one?" the man asks.

"Yes sir," I answer, keeping my head low. "I am KOS-MOS, Serial Number 00-00-00-00-1. I have been sent here as specified in Phase 1 of the Zohar Project. I await your orders, Your Holiness."

"I've heard that Vector's Android looked nothing like a combat weapon, but I didn't believe it until now," the Patriarch says, his palm sweeping down on his well-groomed mustache. "In any case, come with me, KOS-MOS," he signals me toward the organ behind him.

He plays several notes on the giant instrument causing it to lower into the ground, revealing a passageway. The Patriarch begins to lead the way and I simply follow. The sound of prayer once again fills the narrow hallway that we pass, again this isn't the best opportunity to finish the man. The prayers only grow louder and louder with every step we take, as a light at the end of the hallways begins to appear.

"I'm glad you've come," the Patriarch speaks as we continue down the hidden hallway, "however..."

"However, sir?"

We arrive at the source of the light, my heart skipping a beat when I see the images on the other side. Translucent containers from as far as the eye can see lined up on top of one another on the walls of this circular area. I can't help but turn to the closest container, only to nearly faint after seeing what's inside it. A woman totally unclothed and naked, her eyes unopened, and her body unmoving. Her long hair flows with the chemicals inside the container, slowly bobbing upward with the bubbles inside it. I take a closer look at her, trying my best to stay conscious as I do so to find an even more shocking sight. Her face, I've seen it many times before. The milk-hued skin, the long dull blue hair, and the mark of KOS-MOS on her forehead.

"Miang!" I exclaim when I recognize the face inside the container.

I turn to the next container and find the face of my sister once again. I turn to the one after and see the same sight. I close my eyes and turn them to the other side of the room, only to find my sister in each of those containers once again. I try to divert my eyes elsewhere, but wherever I turn, I find my sister's face. My body begins to collapse now, my knees and hands breaking my fall. I turn my eyes to the floor, hoping that I can hide my vision away from my sister and her copies, only to find that the ground is also translucent.

Even more containers are seen beneath me, the entire floor below us filled with copies of her. I try to prevent myself from fainting once again, but the eyes of the one directly below me begins to open, those crimson red eyes staring blankly into my own. My own eyes widen at the sight, turning away from hers as quickly as possible, only to find the sight of those eyes once again when I avert my vision elsewhere. I can no longer keep my shock in much longer, my emotions escaping from a scream in voice that echoes throughout the entire room.

I shut my eyes now, trying to block their own eyes away from my own but to no avail. I still see all of them, all of those blank stares looking back at me. I try my best to shut out the images with more of my screams, but they continue to stare, their eyes never blinking. My eyes begin to open, only to find another pair staring directly at me, these eyes closer than the others. The image of these pupils forces me backward, but then I realize that this pair is an ocean blue and not in a container. The owner of these eyes begins to walk toward me, kneeling before me and placing her hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down.

"Elly," the person calls.

"What...what is all of this!" I exclaim.

"Mass production of the KOS-MOS series has already begun," the Patriarch answers. "Did you think we could keep the original schedule the same after the events that had occurred recently, Unit 00-00-00-00-1?"

"But how...?"

"I'm sorry, Elly," my sister apologizes.

"That's right, the mass-produced models are based off the Hawwa System that the Archetype was based on," the Patriarch explains. "Miang, or rather the Archetype, arrived here last night so that we may upload copies of her personal data into the mass-produced units. The bodies of these units were built at the same time the Archetype was built, but the data for them was never uploaded until recently. We originally preferred to use the Elhaym System that you were programmed with, but because of the events that happened recently, your system was lost, along with your mechanical components. It was rather bold of you to come here and try to stop the Zohar Project by yourself as you are now, but as you can see, you're already too late."

"Miang, how could you go through with this?" I ask. "You know what the purpose of the Zohar Project is, and even knowing that, you still went ahead and..."

"Orders are orders, Elly," my sister tells me. "Even if I wanted to object to those orders, it would mean nothing. I would be destroyed for defying those orders, and I would eventually be replaced by another. It wouldn't be difficult for them to create a third KOS-MOS unit, it would just take them a little more time and the Project would continue anyway."

"So then why? Why follow them if you're that intent on not following their orders?"

"It's because," she brings her lips to my ear, the rest of her voice barely audible, "you're the only one who can stop me, my darling."

"What?"

"If we were to have a third sister, do you think she'd have the same emotional attachment that we have for one another?" she asks, her words still in a whisper. "No, she would not have the bond we have established, she would not have any mercy for you or for Mother. And so, Elly, take advantage of my kindness, take advantage of my sorrow, take advantage of my weakness and kill me now! End this before I bring an end to everything!"

"Miang, I..."

"Kill me," she says, her voice beginning to crack. "The data upload to the mass-produced units has not been completed yet, if you can kill me, you can prevent that from happening, you can prevent the deaths of millions and put an end to the Project here and now. You've done it once before, so do it once more. Kill me now, hurry!"

"KOS-MOS, stand down," another voice enters the facility.

I turn to the entrance to the room and find a person I have never seen before. White hair in a braid on the left side of her head, black clothing consisting of a corset, long skirt, and gloves, and a dagger hanging from her corset. Her voice is rather cold as she speaks, with little emotion in it. I recognize her uniform now, it is the female uniform of an Inquisitor, a high-ranking soldier in the Ormus Sect.

"Yes, Lady Orgulla," my sister returns to her feet, her eyes glued to the floor.

"KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1, you have been rendered obsolete by the Zohar Project and its officials," the Patriarch speaks, "and us such, we shall now carry out your fate. Inquisitor Orgulla shall be the one to render that. We applaud you for attempting to prevent us from carrying out our plans on your own, but I'm afraid your efforts mean nothing in the end. Die knowing that you lived a meaningless existence. Orgulla, take care of her," the Patriarch orders as he begins to leave.

"Yes, your Holiness," the white-haired woman bows.

"Wait, where do you think you're going?" I try to chase after the old man.

"Stop right there!" I find a green-colored beam pointed at my throat now. "I can't allow you to interfere with our plans any longer, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1," Orgulla threatens.

"Don't call me that!" I order, jumping out of the range of her energy sword.

"And the title 'Elly' is any better?" she asks. "It shouldn't even matter to machines such as yourself. Machines don't need things such as names, at most they can have model numbers."

"Stop it! I'm not a machine any longer!"

"You dare raise your voice toward an Inquisitor!" she glares. "You shall repent for that before I kill you!"

She swings her energy sword at me now, the sheath of my sword barely catching it in time. The force of the blow pushes me back a little, but I quickly notice that she is going for a second strike after, this time with the dagger that was previously hanging on her clothing. I manage to dodge the shorter edge, but the attack that follows after strikes closer, piercing the material of the corner of my skirt. I try to counter now, swinging my sword with the blade still sheathed, aiming for her side. She blocks the sheath with her longer blade, but she fails to realize that wasn't the strike I wanted to connect. I draw my blade now, freeing it from my sheath as quickly as possible and go for a lunge with it. The lunge barely skids across her shoulder, barely deflected by her dagger. Her leg pushes against me after, knocking me a few inches back.

The pain inflicted from her kick is minimal, but she uses this opportunity to rush in once more. She comes in with a swing of her sword, the slash missing as I dodge by moving a few steps backward. Another one quickly follows, the blade drifting closer than the last slash. A third quickly follows, this one aiming toward my face, but the blade only catches my glasses and sends them to the floor. Her body is wide open as she goes for a fourth strike, an overhead slash with her longer weapon. I bring my sheath upward to block the slash, my right hand swinging upward in a diagonal fashion to counter with my own attack. My aim is perfect, the blade sliding across her entire body and sending her backward, sending her to the floor. The fight is over, but one more seems to stand in my way.

"Do I have to fight you too, Miang?" I ask, readying my sword once more.

"No," she answers, "at least not yet. Lady Orgulla's not done yet."

I turn back to my previous opponent and find her standing once more. She bends her neck in an angle, the cartilage making a loud cracking noise as she does so. I ready my sword once again and just like the last time, she charges in, this time with her sword leading. I prepare to strike with a downward slash this time, but I soon realize that this thrust wasn't her main attack. Her body quickly spirals out of my blade's way the moment I bring my sword down, her leg moving upward as she spins, knocking my weapon out of my hand. I try to strike with my sheath, but to my surprise, she drops her weapons and wraps her arms around my own, her body then jumping onto my back until she sits on it, sending me to my knees. She exerts force onto my arm, forcing me to drop my sheath and leaving me weaponless. I can't help but scream as she pushes it, it feels like she's going to tear my arm out of its socket.

"Repent!" she screams. "Repent now and I'll make your death painless. Refuse to redeem yourself and I'll break your arm out of its socket!"

Slowly I slide my right arm against my skirt, reaching inward so that I may find my other weapon. Even more force exerts on my arm, but she fails to notice that I have found my blaster that was resting in my garter. I slide the gun upward from the ground and then lift my arm up, bending it so that the barrel faces her. I pull the trigger several times, but each shot misses. Regardless, she lets go of my arm. I return to my feet and try to fire more shots, but only the sound of clicking escapes my gun. I throw the weapon to the ground after, realizing that there wouldn't be enough time to reload in a fight like this.

She springs forward again, this time without any weapons. I decide to try and not counter this time, that she might get me in another joint lock. She tries to attack me with a side kick to the face, but I manage to deflect the attack with my wrist. I counter with a right hook to her jaw, the punch stunning her for a moment, allowing me to continue. I follow up with another hook from my other hand, then a jab with my first, followed with an elbow from the second, then a strike with my knee to her abdomen, ending it with a roundhouse to her face. The power of my kick manages to send her to the ground, a loud clunk echoing in the room as she does so.

My breath is short, and my body heavy, but I know that I can continue to stop the Patriarch. I turn to my sister once again, but she simply points back to the direction of my opponent. To my shock, she rises once more. She readies her fists again and I do the same, but then she quickly lowers them, her hands pushing against the side of her head. I begin to lower my stance as I see this, how she begins to fall to the ground gripping her head in pain.

"Stay out of it, Manes!" she screams as electricity crackles around her body.

The electricity comes to a stop now and she begins to lower her hands. Her gaze returns to me, but something is different. Her eyes, a cold ice blue, but something else is different. She points the back of her hands toward me as her arms form an "X" in front of her chest. Throwing daggers suddenly appear in between the spaces of her fingers, the daggers quickly hurling at me afterwards.

I manage to dodge each of the knives by either moving them out of their path entirely or by slapping them down by hitting their dull sides with my palms. I look back to Orgulla and find more daggers in her hands, each of them being tossed toward me again. I rush in, now, barely striking down each of the daggers again with my palms. By the time she notices that I've rushed in far enough to hit her, she finds herself falling back again as I bring my elbow into her chest. I bend the rest of my arm upward after so that I can strike her face with the back of my hand, followed by a straight punch with my left and then a front kick with my right leg. She falls to the ground once again, but this time I wait for her to get back up.

I decide to go for the attack this time before she can pull out any more weapons. I try to attack with my own side kick, but she manages to duck under it. Before I can follow with another attack, I find her palm launching upward, meeting with my chin. Her knee strikes my abdomen after, forcing me to hunch over. Her fingers grab a lock of my hair now, her knee beginning to strike against my forehead. She lets go of my hair after several moments of thrashing, but now her fists beginning striking against my abdomen and rib cage. Rivers of scarlet crawl up my throat now, falling to the floor and my clothes in drops. More and more jolts of pain continue to push against my body, and I find my consciousness fading.

My body falls to the floor now, I find myself barely able to move. The aches from each of the strikes hurt as much as ever, but unfortunately I find myself drained of so much strength that I can't even cast a Medica Ether on myself. The area around me begins to meld into itself, the colors and images becoming one. The sounds begin to deafen too, everything just seems to be disappearing. I still recognize one image though, my sister, who still stands there in the same spot she did as soon as the fight began. The strength left in me begins to reach toward her, but it does nothing to bring me closer to her. She begins to turn away now and my arm drops as she does this.

I'm sorry Shion, Miang, everyone, but I failed. I really am just a child...

* * *

XenoMark's Note: Well, that was definitely hard for me to write. As for why Elly is acting like this now, well to put it simply, she's growing up. When we first saw her in "Warm," she didn't know anything about emotions, she was very naive about it like a child. Then in "Bound," she learned how to understand and develop her emotions a little better, and now in "Mother," she's trying to develop her own identity based on what she felt in the previous two installments. Think of her as being in the teenager phase of someone growing up, she wants to make her own identity by being independent, not wanting to depend on her parent (in this case, Shion) like most teenagers. As for Miang's scene in the beginning with Abel, I guess I should explain two things. I won't explain the connection between Miang and Elly's connection to Abel right now, but I can give a little hint, it all points to Nephilim. As for why he calls both Miang and Elly 'Mother,' it goes back to the fact that the two used to be one. Now for that dream in the beginning of Elly's POV, that was the combination of two scenes from Xenogears, plus some of my own original dialogue. It was a combination of the scene where Elly (from Xenogears) is reflecting on herself after calling Fei a coward and the scene where Elly remembers when she first took 'Drive' at Jugend. For those who haven't played Xenogears, 'Drive' is a drug that temporarily shuts down one's emotions in order to bring out one's full potential, taking too much of it can cause brain damage. I should also note that the "Elhaym" in Miang's POV is different from the "Elhaym" in Elly's POV. All I'll reveal for now is that the "Elhaym" in Elly's POV is the real name of the Elly in Xenogears. I think I covered everything that needed to be answered for now, if you still have any questions on what's going on, ask in a review with your e-mail and I'll get back to you on the answer. If you're waiting for everyone to go to Miltia, don't worry, they'll be headin' there in the next chapter (minus Elly I'm afraid). So that's it for now, the more (positive) reviews we get, the faster we'll update. Well that's all for now, later! 


	6. Breakdown

XenoMark's Note: This fic is definitely going down a different path than Xenosaga Episode 2, hopefully down a better one seeing how many fans found episode 2 to be a disappointing game. In any case, it's time for the characters to head to Old Miltia now, but I'm afraid Elly won't be able to join them after what happened in the last chapter. Also, we get a small peak into Ziggy's past in this chapter (since we couldn't fit it in the last chapter, along with more of Jr.'s), the dialogue taken directly from the cell phone game "Xenosaga: Pied Piper." We at Team KOS-MOS would like to thank Chaoslace and the other staff at Zarathustra Stieg Allein (their website's address can be found on our profile) for giving us permission to use their online translation of "Xenosaga: Pied Piper" for our fic. In any case, let's get back to the story.

* * *

Chapter 6: Breakdown

(Ziggy's POV)

"It's obvious that the U-TIC Organization's destination is on Old Miltia," the Director of the Kukai Foundation speaks as he shows us a projection of the planet. "The Federation's observation crafts have picked up several coded transmissions from them recently, just moments ago we have been able to translate them."

I make sure to pay attention to every word Gaignun Kukai has to say, along with the others in the room. After several minutes of explaining, I get the basic understanding of the situation. The U-TIC Organization has been working in conjunction with the Immigrant Fleet, or rather the Ormus Sect. Their goal is the Original Zohar on Old Miltia, with it they plan to go through with their own version of the "Zohar Project." Unfortunately none of us in this room know what the Zohar Project is, nor are any of us classified to know its details. What we are allowed to know is that the U-TIC Organization is also unaware of the exact location of the Original Zohar, but they do know a location that has the Zohar's coordinates. That place is the ruins of the former HQ of U-TIC, Labyrinthos. Of course, this is assuming that the systems in it are still running.

"For some reason the actions of the U-TIC Organization and Immigrant Fleet have come to a stop at the moment," Gaignun Kukai continues in the present. "The spies from the Federation Government aren't sure what is causing the delay either. What we do know is that all of their ships heading toward Old Miltia have stopped their courses approximately one hour ago."

"So that would mean if we're gonna go to Old Miltia, this would be our chance," the young captain of the Durandal speaks.

"Correct," Gaignun Kukai continues, "if we are to secure the Original Zohar with as little resistance as possible, this would be a perfect opportunity."

"It might also be a set up for an ambush," I add in. "I find it strange that all of U-TIC and the Immigrant Fleet's activities have suddenly come to a stop."

"I understand your concern, Ziggurat 8, but that's why for this mission I'm sending the entire Kukai Foundation to deal with this task," the Director explains.

"Are you sure that's wise?" the military realian from Vector asks in a monotone voice. "Is it really worth risking your entire fleet to simply recover some ancient artifact? It would suck if this whole place was blown to bits, you would've built up all this revenue for nothing."

"Ha ha, true," Gaignun Kukai slightly chuckles.

"You don't have to worry, the Durandal itself has been able to take out several legions of Gnosis by itself," Jr. assures the realian, "the Foundation should be able to handle ten times as much."

"We'll begin the operation in 1500 hours," the Director announces. "I'll make an announcement for all non-fighting personnel to evacuate to Second Miltia beforehand. The Federation Government has set up several temporary residential districts for them."

"All right, got it," Jr. says as he and a majority of the room begins to leave their seats.

"Wait a minute, what about Elly?" Ms. Uzuki suddenly stops everyone.

"Elly? Do you mean KOS-MOS?" MOMO asks.

"Her name is 'Elly,'" Ms. Uzuki corrects her. "What are we going to do about her, are we just going to leave her? We have to..."

"Shion, you mustn't let personal matters get in the way of...," her brother tries to explain, only to be cut off.

"What do you mean 'personal matters'!" she nearly explodes. "Elly just left the Foundation by herself, all alone, you can't just expect us to abandon her after all she's done for us. Isn't that right everyone?"

Silence fills the room after she asks this question. The question she has asked is rather naive for anyone who has been on the battlefield. Though the answer to her question is cruel, but on the battlefield, the mission is what always comes first no matter what.

"Everyone...?"

"Shion..., KOS...er, I mean, Elly left on her own accord," Jr. explains. "I hate to say it, but she's a deserter. Heck, she also took that weird A.M.W.S. we picked up from Second Miltia when she left, if anything that just makes it worse. We have no idea where she took it either, the craft wasn't registered in any data banks. Looking for her now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack in total darkness."

"But...!" Ms. Uzuki tries to object.

"I don't like the situation as much as you do, Shion, but I'm afraid the mission to secure the Zohar is more important," chaos explains. "As much as I would also like to look for Elly, the fact is that we don't even know where she went."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Ms. Uzuki exclaims. "After all we've been through together, you all..."

I take it upon myself to leave at this very moment. I have been given my new mission objective to help secure the Original Zohar, nothing else should matter at this moment. I would like to say that, but there is something else that matters, another one of my few human traits, pity, made me do what I did yesterday.

It was after MOMO had collapsed after linking her with the UMN. Dr. Mizrahi had called me into her office to give me another assignment.

"You're asking me to assist in the recovery of the Original Zohar?" I asked upon given my orders.

"That's correct," Dr. Mizrahi answered. "We would like you to work alongside the Kukai Foundation in this mission, you will be stationed there and you will follow every order that they give you as long as it help us achieve our goal."

"I see."

"Once you have completed this mission, we will comply with your request to remove all of your remaining organic parts. We will pay for all expenses needed for this operation. Will you be needing any provisions for this mission as well?"

"No," I answered, "but if you don't mind, there is something I'd like to ask you."

"Yes?"

"What happened to MOMO?"

It was very unprofessional of me to ask such a question, and yet, the question itself bothered continuously throughout the day. She was only supposed to be another completed objective, but for some reason, whenever I was with her, I felt like she was much more. What I felt about her, it was just like how I felt for 'her' son nearly a century ago.

"The 100-Series Prototype is currently in a coma due to the failed attempt to extract the Y-Data from her system," my employer answered with an emotionless tone. "Our engineers have assumed that our current technology will be unable to retrieve the data without having the UMN being hacked into again, and so, we've decided to keep her cryogenically frozen until we have the technology to retrieve the data unharmed. She will be frozen tomorrow morning around 0800 hours."

"I see."

"Why is it that you asked about her?"

"...I was simply wondering, that's all."

"Isn't this unprofessional for someone in your field."

"...It is, but may I say something on the subject of MOMO?" I asked. "Don't you think it's unfair to just make a decision like this without consulting your own daughter about this? Doesn't she also have a right to choose what should be done in this situation?" I found my voice rising as I spoke those words.

"That realian is no daughter of mine," Dr. Mizrahi quickly spat upon my response. "She's merely a copy, a cheap imitation of my Sakura. She may look like her, act like her, but she isn't my daughter. 100-Series Realians are nothing but shadows of my late child, even now I'm reminded of her death whenever I see one of them, so don't you dare think that Sakura and that prototype are one and the same!"

This was the first time I had ever seen my employer show any emotion at all. Needless to say that I was a little surprised and a bit upset at my own words. Again I was being unprofessional, but I just felt that I needed to say what I said next.

"That's not what I meant, Dr. Mizrahi," I tried to explain. "What I meant was that even though MOMO and the other 100-Series look like your late daughter, can't you just see each of them as different children? I'm sure it would mean a lot to MOMO if you can just consider doing this for her and her sisters."

"...Just what do you know?" she asked after a moment of hesitation. "Asking me to do that is like asking me to consider your current self and your past life as Jan Sauer to be the same individual."

"What?" my old name immediately caught my attention.

"You think we of the Subcommittee didn't know about your past life? Captain Jan Sauer of the Galaxy Federation's Special Ops-Police Force, stationed on Abraxas, the planet currently known as Michtam. At the age of 30 you were the lead investigator in the investigation on the UMN cyber-terrorist 'Voyager.' Though the Police Force had ordered you to discontinue your investigation on Voyager, you had disobeyed your orders and followed through with the rest of your assignment. The ending result was..."

"Stop it!" I found myself suddenly overcome by guilt. "Just stop it!"

"In exchange for our lives... is it true you'll bring peace to the people we love?" memories of that day begin to echo through my mind.

"I guarantee it..."

"Sharon!" I remember screaming my wife's name. "He's manipulating you! This is one of Voyager's mind hacks...!"

"Mom... now we can be with Papa forever, right...?"

"Yes, we really can... We'll never lose him again..."

"I'm happy, Mom. I'm really happy."

"Joaquin!" I screamed, my fist banging against the invisible barrier that separated us. "Save Sharon! Sharon! Do you want Joaquin to die! That dream, it's a lie! You can't be happy that way!"

"Then let's go...," my cloaked nemesis said.

"Now we'll never mourn anyone again..."

The next thing I knew, a flash of white filled my vision. The flash lasted no more than a second, and within that second, my family was gone. No longer would I see their loving smiles, no longer would I hear their laughter, and no longer would they welcome me with open arms, all that was left was imitations of their limp forms and oceans of crimson. In the center of that ocean was him, a man I once considered a friend, the same man I vowed to capture.

"Sharon...," I remember how my body began to fall to its knees, my hand sliding down the invisible shield. "Joaquin..."

"The ending result was the deaths of your newlywed wife and stepson, Sharon Rosas and Joachim Rosas," she continued, each of her words acting as a nail plunging into my heart. "Upon seeing the deaths of your family, you committed suicide, and there was no sign of Voyager whatsoever. Tell me, Jan Sauer, how does it feel? How does it feel to be reminded of your late family after all these years?"

"Please, don't say anymore...," I began to beg.

"It's a touchy subject, isn't it?" her torturous words finally came to a stop. "I'm sorry, but I didn't mean to go that far. I hope you understand how I feel now whenever I see those realians."

"I understand now, but may I make one request in regards to my new assignment?" I asked, trying my best to suppress the memory once again.

"...all right."

"I would like to request if I can bring MOMO along with me for this mission," I found myself saying. "You and your committee currently don't have any use for her, but for me, she... she would be of great assistance to this operation I think."

"And what kind of assistance would she be of? Emotional, I'm sure you can't mean tactical assistance; the realian's capabilities are equal to that of a twelve-year old child."

"...yes, I would be lying if I said otherwise."

"I'll allow it," my employer said without hesitation.

"What?"

"The 100-Series Prototype is not the only source where we can achieve the Y-Data," she explained. "The military realian that escorted you here, designated name 'Canaan,' carries a copy of the data. We are unable to extract the data from him as well, our systems always crash every time we try to analyze his data banks. In conjunction with your current mission to help secure the Original Zohar, we would like you to assist in the extraction of the Y-Data from Canaan upon your arrival in Labyrinthos' ruins. Upon his return to HQ from a mission fourteen years ago, his systems suddenly crashed, his memory contaminated by an unknown virus. We have concluded that the only way to bypass the virus and obtain the Y-Data is to go into Labyrinthos' Motherframe and do an extraction there. Freezing the 100-Series Realian Prototype would have been a last resort to get the data, but the probability of this mission succeeding is very high. If we did freeze her and this mission is a success, we most likely would have just disposed of her anyway. Do what you will with her, I'll smooth things over with the rest of the Committee."

'Juli Mizrahi, what a cold person you are,' I think in the present as I enter my quarters. 'Not only do you see your own daughter as nothing more than a tool, you reminded me of my past that I try so many times to forget. Sharon, Joaquin, I can't help but think about you nearly every second now that I am reminded of you again. That day nearly a century ago, it's as fresh in my mind as it ever was.'

I sit in my maintenance chair now, connecting myself to the terminal so that I may put my systems on standby. I notice something on the right arm of my chair, some kind of cloth material. I take the object into my hand now and bring it in front of my face. It's a beret, the same one I once wore when I first joined the police force nearly a century ago, before my resurrection. This was the only material good I kept after becoming a cyborg, I don't know why I kept it. It used to be my father's, and I in turn was going to give it to Joachim when he grew older.

"Mom, why isn't Dad coming home?" a day from my childhood comes to my mind.

"Because his job is to protect the city," was my mother's response. "He works to protect everyone."

"Then, why are you always crying?"

"Because Dad isn't coming home."

My hands begin push against the sides of my head now in an attempt to block any more memories from resurfacing, but it does the opposite.

"Mom, what did Dad die for?"

"For the safety of the people, Jan. So that he could carry out his mission. That's what a policeman does."

"I can't remember his face, Mom... I can't remember what kind of person he was. Because he was never there... All I have left of him is..."

"...this beret...," I look at the navy blue cap in the present.

I can't help but remember more now, no longer trying to repress these memories. I remember when I graduated the police academy now. I remember making a promise that day, a promise to myself. I promised that I wouldn't be like my father; I promised that I would make him proud as a police man, but at the same time, I promised that I would always be there for my family, that they would always come before the mission, but looking back on my previous and current life, that promise...

"Ziggy, are you okay?" I look to the door to find MOMO walking through.

"Yes, I'm all right," I assure her.

"You left the meeting so suddenly that I got worried."

"Really, I'm all right, MOMO."

"What's that?" she points to my father's old beret.

"...it's my beret when I used to be a police officer," I answer.

"Really, you were in the police force?"

"...Yes, in my previous life," I tell her. "I was ...an investigator for the Galaxy Federation's Police Force stationed in Abraxas, or Michtam as it's called now. This beret used to be my father's. He was also... a policeman."

"Wow, that's so cool! What was your dad like? Was he anything like you?"

"...to be honest, I really can't remember. My father... was never really home. He died when I was still young, the only thing I really have to remember him by is this beret. I thought that if I could become a police officer, I could grow closer to him and understand him. I do respect him, but at the same time, I didn't want to be like him. I wanted... to be there for my family, always be there for them, but not neglect my duty as a police officer at the same time."

I stop my words after my last sentence. Again I am being very unprofessional, telling not only my past life to someone, but that someone happens to be an objective of a former clientele. I wish not to say any more about my previous life, my attention now turning to the hat in my hands. Still, there is a part of me that wants to tell her more about my previous life, to tell her about how I lived and what I believed in.

"It's strange," the young child breaks the silence after several moments.

"What's strange?"

"You don't normally talk about yourself so openly, Ziggy," she points out. "Ever since we met, you've always been so quiet, so serious, it always worried me that you acted more like a robot than a person, but I've been noticing a lot of changes lately. Whenever you talk to anybody else except me, you still talk like some kind of machine, but when you talk to me, well, you seem a bit more open. Remember my birthday party a few days ago? I asked you to dance with me, and you did. If it was Shion or Elly that asked you to dance with them, you would've said no, right?"

"...I suppose you're right."

"There you go again trying to act serious," MOMO giggles, wrapping her arms around my own. "Come on, Ziggy, you don't have to be like this with me, I know this isn't the real you. You weren't always like this, I know it, why else did you make that promise when you became a police officer? Do you even still want to keep that promise?"

"...I don't have a family anymore, it's impossible to keep my promise."

"Then how about I be your family?" she suddenly asks. "When I'm with you... I feel so happy. I feel like I don't have to be afraid of anything, I can do anything, I just feel... I don't know how to say it..."

"What are you trying to say?" I ask, her words leaving me confused.

"Ziggy, what I'm trying to say is that... I love you."

For the first time ever since I became a cyborg, I find my entire body suddenly paralyzed and my stomach in knots. The numbness in my body is replaced my a dryness in my throat and the area where my heart once was beating rapidly, as if it were waiting for the right moment to thump once again. The young child's eyes look back to mine now, a slight blush of red painted on her face as she looks at me.

"I love you," she says once again.

"No...," a third voice suddenly enters the room.

I turn to the doorway once more and find the Durandal's young captain standing in the doorway, his mouth wide open and his hands shaking. In a matter of seconds, his mouth closes, his teeth now biting down on one another and his fingers curled into fists. MOMO realizes this now and turns toward him, a look of shock also on her face.

"Jr...?" the young girl addresses the boy in the doorway.

The moment after she calls his name, his hand meets with the wall, leaving a small river of crimson on it after he peels it away. Without saying another word, he quickly turns away and runs down the corridor as quickly as he can, his eyes beginning to water as he does so.

"Jr., wait!" MOMO begins to chase after him. "I'm sorry, Ziggy, but I'm going to go after him. I think he misinterpreted what I just said."

"I know," I tell her.

"You're the closest thing I have to a parent, Ziggy," she tells me. "Daddy died before I was born, and Mommy acts as if I don't exist. When I said I loved you, I meant it, but I meant it as..."

"You love me as if I was your father, correct?"

"That's right," she answers.

"MOMO..., thank you. I... want you to have this," I offer her the beret in my hand.

"What, but Ziggy...!"

"...please, just take it."

"All right, thank you, I'll keep it safe," she says, quickly putting the hat on. "So how do I look?"

"...you look nice," I answer.

"Thank you."

The young realian leaves shortly afterwards. I begin to relax once again in my maintenance chair, but just as a few minutes ago, it is impossible. To love me as a parent, another very unprofessional move that I allowed. It shouldn't matter, once this mission is complete, things such as this will no longer phase me, but... For the first time since my resurrection, I no longer want to go through with the operation, I don't want to forget about my past, I don't want to forget about my current life. When I look back on the recent events, I don't remember any pain, I remember belonging somewhere, I remember coming back to open arms, I remember... her always being there. I feel this way because... Because... Because I too love MOMO, as if she were my own daughter...

* * *

(Shion's POV) 

I can't believe what everyone just said in the meeting room a few moments ago! I never thought that any of them would even think about abandoning her, but...

"Go, Shion," I remember my brother's words. "You have no place here."

I couldn't believe what my brother said after I tried to remind everyone what Elly did for all of us in the past. No matter how much I pleaded with the others to support my decision to look for her, none of them listened to me.

"What do you mean I don't have a place here!" I yelled at my brother. "I have every right to be here just as much as all of you! I've helped everyone here during the last month, never getting in the way, as did Elly."

"Shion..., I'm afraid you're brother's right," chaos spoke after. "You're letting your feelings for Elly blind you on what's more important at the moment."

"What do you mean 'what's more important!'" I exploded. "Elly is the most important thing to me, you can't just..."

"What you said just proves my point," my brother interrupted. "Your emotions for Miss Elly are clouding your mind, at the moment, you can't..."

"Clouding my mind? If I recall correctly, it's your fault why Elly left in the first place, Jin!" I yelled at him. "When she ran out of the Dining Area this morning, she told me, 'Your brother's a jerk, you know that!' Just what did you tell her, Jin? What did you say to get her so upset!"

The only answer I had gotten from my brother was silence. He didn't even look at me after I questioned him, his eyes simply closed and his body very relaxed. Just looking into that calm expression of his made my blood boil, making my fingers curl into a fist. It didn't take long for my anger to reach its peak, because the next thing I knew, I found the palm of my hand slicing across the air, my hand stinging after meeting with the side of my brother's face. Jin fell out of his seat after being struck, but I wasn't satisfied after that single attack. I wanted to follow with another, but chaos and MOMO began to hold me back as Jr. and Gaignun helped my brother back to his feet.

"Answer me, Jin!" I yelled as I was being held back. "What did you say to say to Elly? What made her so angry?"

"I asked her about the 'truth,' nothing more, nothing less," he answered, his expression still calm.

'The truth,' just what did Jin mean when he said that? Why should I care, that idiot for a brother always talked about the stupidest things! I've had it with him for the last time, and I don't know what's wrong with the others. I don't care anymore; they can go to Old Miltia by themselves, they don't need my help! I have to find Elly, that's all that matters to me right now.

"Then does my request mean nothing to you?" another voice enters my ears.

I turn around now and find a face I had been seeing more recently these past few days. Red hair, azure eyes, a white dress, and a cross around her neck, it's none other than Nephilim. I find myself beginning to calm down as I see the child's face, her expression different from usual. Her face is no longer wearing that monotone look, her lips now frowning and her eyes nearly closed. I begin to approach her now, my hand reaching out to her, only to go through her the moment I touch her skin. I quickly pull my hand away afterwards out of shock, but the child still wears her saddened expression as if nothing happened.

"Nephilim, what's wrong?" I ask, trying my best to forget about the conversation I had with the others recently.

"Are you already running away, Shion?" she asks. "Do you not intend not to go back to Miltia after all?"

"No..., it's not that, it's just...," I try to explain.

"You are worried about Elly I see," she says. "Is it because she is your daughter, or is it because...?"

"It's because I love her, that's why!" I answer, nearly yelling once again.

"But how do you love her?" Nephilim asks. "Do you love her as your child, or as something more? Do you truly love her at all?"

My mind once again draws a blank like last night. The words of that man in the red cloak begin to ring in my ears again, the words that mentioned how Elly was a device used to fill the void of loneliness in my heart. Elly's own words follow after, echoing at the same time as that man's. Her words mention how pathetic I am, pathetic for how I'm trying to make her with the qualities of a lover and family member. I try to shut out each of these voices with my own, but it does no good.

"All you've been looking for your entire life was for someone to fill the gap of loneliness, trying to fill the space your parents left in your heart by being with someone, anyone that was close to you," that man's words continue to echo through my mind.

"That's not true," are the words I try to use to silence the voices, but it only causes them to grow louder.

"I see, it's just as he said," my lover's words follow after. "You're trying to make me into something with the qualities of a family member and a lover."

"That's not true," my voice grows louder.

"You raised her as your daughter, but you let your inner demons get the best of you once more, using her to try and fill the void of loneliness," the cloaked man's words continue.

"That's not true."

"You called me your little girl!" my angel's words follow next. "You're disgusting, you know that! Trying to satisfy yourself by trying to cradle me!"

"That's not true."

"Did you think you can fill the loss of your family and lover by making a partner with the qualities of both?"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

My knees weaken now and I find myself falling to ground, overcome by the voices and my emotions. I find water beginning to escape my eyes now, the rivers falling rapidly down my face. I still haven't found an answer, but why? I never thought about this until now, so why, why am I so focused on what they said? Why am I...?

"You must go to Miltia," Nephilim speaks once again. "Only KOS-MOS can lead you toward that answer."

"Is that the only reason why you want me to go to Miltia?" I ask. "Is that where Elly is?"

"I never said 'Elly' would lead you toward that answer," Nephilim explains.

"Then Miang?"

"I didn't say 'Miang' either."

"Then, what other KOS-MOS is there?"

"...you shall see when the time arrives," she says. "But there is another reason for why you must go to Miltia. Look."

The scenery around me begins to meld into itself now; the desk, the bed, the clock, the walls, everything merging in a large black swell. The swell begins to subside shortly, but the area around me is no longer familiar to me. I find myself standing in a metal corridor, the entire vicinity barely lighted. There are no signs of life anywhere, just the faint humming of machinery. I begin to run forward now, toward the end of the corridor where a large metal door resides. The door opens as I approach it, revealing another door. More doors follow as I run through the corridor, each one opening in the same fashion of the first. Finally the corridor of doors comes to an end, revealing to me a large circular room at the end.

The entire room is dark, I can't even see my hand as I hold it right in front of me. I begin to step forward and the doors behind me quickly close. I can feel each beat of my heart now striking against my rib cage and my breath short, just taking a single step forward takes every bit of air I breathe in. A small light suddenly flashes in my eyes after, causing me to quickly shut them. I wait for the light to dim for several seconds, my attention then turning toward its source. A giant cross-shaped object rests at the end of the room; the object is bigger than any skyscraper I've ever seen, the entire thing colored in a golden yellow. My eyes begin to drift up the enormous structure, my eyes widening more and more as my vision trails upward. Finally I stop at the center of its points, finding another white cross, and in the center of that cross, I find a large sky blue gem. I realize now what I have been staring at, I've been staring at...

"The Zohar!"

"Yes," Nephilim reappears before me after my revelation. "Not only does the Original Zohar reside here, but so does the request of another."

"The request of another?" the words puzzle me.

"I want you... to release my sisters...," I am suddenly reminded of Febronia's words.

"Feb's sisters are here?" I ask Nephilim. "But where are they, I don't see them."

"Come to Miltia and you shall get your answers," Nephilim tells me, her form beginning to disappear before my eyes once again.

"Wait!"

"Your answers... Lie with the Zohar and with KOS-MOS..."

In the blink of an eye, I find myself once again in my room on the Durandal. I collapse to my knees once more, my thoughts now pondering on what Nephilim had just showed me. My answers lie with the Zohar and with KOS-MOS? What did Nephilim mean? What does the Zohar have to do with me; up until this past month, I've never even heard about the Zohar. And KOS-MOS, was she referring to Elly or Miang? This is just so confusing! I...

A knock falls upon my door now, the sound nearly causing me to jump. I find my body beginning to ball into itself now for reasons unknown. Another knock follows and my body grows more tense. A third one, but this time I try to fight the fear growing inside me. I make it to the control panel of the door now and push in the code to open it, the barrier slowly shifting to the side. I summon my M.W.S. now in case there's something waiting for me outside, but to my relief, I find nobody waiting on the other side. I breathe in a sigh of relief now, and begin to turn away, but the next thing I know, I find a hand suddenly pressing against my mouth and my back pressed against the body of another.

"Don't move!" a stranger's voice orders me.

Out of instinct, my mouth opens once again, immediately closing on one of the fingers of my captor with all my might. A cry escapes from their lips after, my head launching backward immediately after to silence the rest of their scream. My teeth pull away the glove on my captor's hand as I push myself away from their grasp now, reequipping my M.W.S. immediately after. I fire a single shot at that exact same moment, the impact of the blast filling my entire room with smoke. There's no doubt about it, but that shot should have taken my captor out no problem. The smoke begins to clear now, but my eyes begin to widen with the next thing I see escaping from the gray clouds. I find a fist flying forward now, but I'm not fast enough to react to the strike, the blow quickly connecting with my abdomen. My body falls forward with the force of the punch, a burning pain now lurching through my stomach. Before I can recover, another blow follows, this one to the back of my neck. Things already begin to grow black after the second strike, but I remain conscious enough to feel the sensation of the third, this one being a palm strike to my face. I feel my back immediately meet with the surface of my floor now, the entire room melding into darkness once again. There is one last thing I see though that has not merged with the rest of the scenery; it is my captor's palm and the number "668" tattooed on it.

"Pleasant dreams," are the last words I hear.

* * *

(Jr.'s POV) 

Old Miltia, though I was raised there for the first half of my life, I don't think I can ever call it home. Back then I never knew that I was different from any other children, I don't think any of us did, except him.

"Don't you ever wonder what's outside these walls?" Albedo would sometimes ask us. "You ever wonder what life is like outside the institute?"

He always liked to daydream back then, he was the weakest out of all of us. I always thought he talked about nothing but nonsense back then; all I ever knew back then was the feel of battle. Though Albedo often asked us what life would be like on outside the walls of the U.R.T.V. Institute, there was one day in particular I remember.

"Albedo, you should know the answer to that just like the rest of us," I told him. "Think about it, what's the only reason why we're released from the institute in the first place? It's to fight a war, that's it. What else could exist outside these walls except war?"

"That can't be all there is," Albedo continued, "there has to be something else. Wars can't be fought everywhere at all times. I'm sure there's a time, a place, where a war isn't being fought. A place where you don't have to watch your back, a time where you can just relax and not have to worry about anything. I'm sure of it, I'm definitely sure that such a thing exists."

"You're such a drama queen, Albedo," Gaignun laughed. "You'd fit in just fine with Citrine in the girls' half of the institute."

"Just what are you implying?" the mentioned U.R.T.V. suddenly appeared.

"Oh crap, Citrine!" Gaignun jumped after noticing her.

"If you ask me, he's too much of a pansy, even for our ward," she said in her usual serious tone.

"Hey, just who do you think you are?" Albedo began to stand up for himself.

"And just who do you think you are, Albedo?" Citrine retorted. "You're supposed to be a Variant, but frankly I see it as a waste to have made a weakling such as you one."

"Leave him alone, Citrine," I ordered her.

"Why are you standing up for him, Rubedo?" she asked. "A Variant mustn't be concerned with such nonsense; actually, a U.R.T.V. in general shouldn't think such things. Our father, Dimitri Yuriev created the four of us to be the perfect weapon against U-DO, we are only needed to think about the mission, nothing more."

"That still doesn't give you the right to talk to him like that!"

"You're just taking you're anger out on us because Rubedo was selected to be our leader instead of you!" Gaignun followed up.

"Even if that is true, I don't see why you boys need to daydream about such pathetic things," she retorted. "I should have been chosen to be the leader of the entire U.R.T.V. Forces, the X-Stock are obviously superior as opposed to you Y-Stock. My role as a Variant should have also fortified that position. But we're getting off subject here, I'm sure all of you will die in the near future with this kind of thinking. Albedo, I'm sure you'll be the first one to die, the ideal world that you imagine will get you killed one day. Nigredo, I think you might be next, I know how Albedo's beliefs pique your interest. Rubedo, you'll definitely follow after, Mizrahi's brain-dead girl is slowly tainting your mind. I look forward to the days when I will attend your funerals just so that I can spit on each of your graves."

U.R.T.V. Unit #668, Citrine, she was the fourth (and only Female) Variant in the U.R.T.V. Forces. She was even more serious than me, she was almost like a complete robot with the exception that she was full of herself. None of us really liked her, she never really got along with anyone, that's probably why she didn't get picked as the leader. I don't know why, maybe she always thought she was in competition with the three of us because she was one of only nine Female U.R.T.V.'s, that and being the only Variant of those nine. I guess her predictions were right for the most part on that day when we were all sent to Labyrinthos, but she forgot to place herself before each of us.

"Rubedo, I'm scared!" I remember Albedo's reaction that day.

"Concentrate, Albedo, it's just like in training," I told him.

Our final mission was to eradicate U-DO, it had been stored in the basement of Labyrinthos. U-TIC was somehow able to contain it shortly before the Miltian Conflict, but during the end of the Conflict, it had broken out of confinement. The top twenty-five members of the U.R.T.V. Forces were sent to accomplish this task, and included in those twenty-five were Gaignun, Albedo, Citrine, and myself. We had made it to the Fourth Basement Floor in Labyrinthos, a floor above where it was being contained. We formed a circle around the center of the room, surrounding the hole that lead to U-DO's core.

"Such a weakling you are," Citrine taunted him, "you have no place here."

"Shut up! I don't need to take this from you!" Albedo quickly retorted.

"Hmph, all you seem to do is take it," she retorted, "you can't dish it back."

"Stop it!" I ordered her. "If we screw this up, then..."

At that very moment, a magenta beam suddenly swirled toward us. Naturally Albedo tried to pull back after the beam flew toward us, but I quickly pulled him back into place before he can run. More beams began to follow, but none of them were able to break through the barrier we had set around it. Time slowly began to pass at that moment, with more of those streams trying to break free. The lesser U.R.T.V.'s began to grow weak shortly after, but we continued to try and contain it. There was no sign of it calming down, if anything, the streams began to grow more erratic. Finally one of the lesser U.R.T.V.'s dropped to the floor, the barrier we had formed weakening. Albedo began to back away after seeing this, but I held him in place once again.

"This isn't good, Rubedo, we're just going to fall over and die at this rate!" Albedo exclaimed. "Look at what happened to #649, he just..."

"I'm sure he just passed out," I tried to assure him.

The truth of the matter is, #649 didn't just pass out, he did die. He used all of his strength in an attempt to contain U-DO, but in doing so, he used all of his life energy as well. Another unit began to fall after, and then another. The barrier was weakening at this moment, it didn't look like we were weakening U-DO at all. Albedo began to scream at that moment and tried to run away once again, but I continued to hold him in place. I turned over to Gaignun to find a similar reaction. At this moment, I also began to feel the same urge to run coming over me. My knees began to tremble, and my brow drenched with sweat. The trembling only worsened with every passing second, even more shaking followed after another U.R.T.V. fell.

"I... I have to...," I began to speak.

"This is what we were born to do," Citrine spoke as the rest of us began to tremble. "What other purpose is there for us in life? If we were born for this day, then we shall also die during this day."

"Yuriev always knew we were born to do this," I said. "He must've known that if we were to contain U-DO, it would cost us our lives. That bastard!"

"And what difference does that make?" Citrine asked me. "This is our reason for being, we have no other purpose other than this."

"No, this isn't right," I began to back away as well. "I... I have to..."

"Don't even think about it, Rubedo!" Citrine yelled. "After all we've been through to finally reach this day, you can't just expect to back out now. We've come so far to make it here, we've come so far to the pinnacle of our existence. Do you plan to just deny us of the peak of our lives? You can't, Rubedo, you can't deny me of this, you can't deny me my reason to exist!"

"I have to..."

"DON'T, RUBEDO!"

"I have to... cut the link..."

At that very moment, the invisible shield that contained U-DO shattered. The streams began to disperse wildly with the barrier now gone. The remaining lesser U.R.T.V.'s were the first ones who started to flee, but they were also the first ones to be struck by the beams. Three fell from the initial escape, the remaining four picking up their battle rifles in an attempt to fight off the streams. A single stream ran through one of the U.R.T.V.'s the moment they picked up their weapon, the remaining three quickly began to open fire at the source of the energy. Each of them fell shortly after, killed by a sudden blast which escaped from the area we tried to contain. It was just the four of us left after that, Albedo, Gaignun, and myself slowly trying to make our escape. Citrine however, stayed there as we made our escape, the entire structure beginning to fall as the energy grew even more erratic.

"How dare you deny me the reason for my existence, Rubedo!" she screamed at me as we ran down the corridor. "I swear, if you can deny me of my reason for existence, then I shall deny you of yours! Remember this day, Rubedo, you'll regret...!"

Before she can say anything more, a large piece of debris suddenly fell on her. Each of us stopped at that moment to witness what had happened, all of us shocked at the event. Despite the fact that none of us got a long with her, we still felt pity for her. She truly did feel as if our purpose in life was to destroy U-DO at the expense of our own lives, and I selfishly took that away from her.

"Oh my God, Rubedo!" Albedo's scream followed shortly after.

A final stream of energy was flying toward us at that moment. Each of us began to run again at this very moment, none of us trying to look back. We were almost at the end of the corridor, toward the exit of the floor, but that's when...

"Ah!"

"Albedo?" I turned around to find our comrade fallen to the floor.

A large pipe had fallen on Albedo's leg during our escape. He tried so desperately to push it off, but despite his efforts, it wouldn't budge at all.

"Rubedo, Nigredo, help me!" he screamed. "Please, help me!"

"Albedo, hang on!" Gaignun tried to go after him.

"No, Nigredo, don't!" I tried to stop him.

Gaignun had ignored my orders. I don't know if he knew if the stream had almost reached Albedo, but he still tried to save him anyway. Gaignun had actually made it to Albedo, taking his hand into his, and he finally began to move Albedo off of the pipe. The stream was getting even closer now, but Gaignun continued to help. When he saw the stream again, his grasp began to loosen and he began to pull away from Albedo. The stream was practically ten steps away from them at this point, and it was at this point that Gaignun let go of Albedo's hand and began to run once again.

"No, Nigredo, don't leave me!" Albedo screamed in tears. "Don't...!"

His next words were a loud scream, one that echoed above the sound of the quaking structure. We tried to ignore his screams as best as we could, running toward the exit once again, but fire began to escape the hallway we were running through now, the blaze blasting through the area we had just escaped. The fire had crept up to us almost as fast as U-DO's energy, but this time there would be nothing to shield us. The fire passed through us almost instantaneously, but miraculously, I had suffered very few injuries from it. Gaignun on the other hand...

"Nigredo, are you all right?" I found him lying next to me. "Nigredo...?"

Gaignun had suffered even worse injuries than I did. He was left unconscious from the blast. The shaking of the structure had come to a stop now, but the entire place was now dark. The electricity must've been cut from the shaking, and the fire that Gaignun and I were caught in must've been caused by a gas leak, but what actually ignited it was a mystery.

"Hey Nigredo, this isn't funny, answer me," I began to shake him. "Nigredo...? Nigredo...!"

The events that had just occurred finally began to take its toll on me. For the first time in my life, I found my voice breaking and my eyes watering. For the first time in my life, I was crying. I took Gaignun into my arms after, trying to walk toward the exit, but my emotions and guilt felt as if they were weighing down on my shoulders. I remember I was staggering as I carried him, my cheeks wet with tears, and my voice broken as I called for help.

"Somebody, help us!" I cried. "Please..., somebody..."

I don't know how long I called, but I remember trying to stagger up the stairway to the upper floor, falling to the ground several times as I did so. I remember each time I fell, I looked at Gaignun, his breath slowly becoming shorter.

"The bleeding won't stop...," I cried as I carried my only surviving comrade. "Please, somebody, help us..."

I couldn't walk much longer after that, I just fell to the floor again from exhaustion. The tears began to fall even more rapidly now, my body unable to hold itself up, weighed down by my emotions. With what little energy I had, I began to curse at myself, cursing my weakness, cursing how I let most of my comrades fall so easily, and most of all, cursing at the fact that I failed to save any of them. Just when I thought all hope was lost...

"Over here, I found two of them!"

It was a pair of soldiers, one with tanned-skin and snow-white hair, and another with a reddish tint and yellow eyes. They hurried down to where Gaignun and I lay, a med kit in their hands. The soldier with reddish hair quickly brought out the med kit and began to inspect Gaignun, quickly tending to his wounds. The white hair approached me, kneeling down to my level so that he may speak to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I... I severed the link...," was all I could say. "I'm supposed to be the leader, but... I couldn't control my fear. I couldn't save any of them..."

"chaos, this other one's going to be okay," the red-haired soldier told his comrade, "what about the one with you?"

"He's also all right," he answered. "See, you at least saved one of them, that in itself is an accomplishment," he told me. "Come on, let's get you and your friend out of here."

It's been fourteen years since that day, I thought it was all over then, but...

I look out the window of the park now to find the never-ending abyss of the stars staring back at me. That day marked the beginning of a new life for me, despite the fact that it involved the sacrifice of so many. I do look back on that day with a little regret, but I know I can't continue to live in the past, I have to focus on the present, even if it is painful at the moment.

"Deep in thought I see," a voice suddenly echoes within the area. "This isn't like you at all, Rubedo."

"Who's there!"

Several men jump out of the bushes now, each of them armed with either a machine gun or pistol. Each of them wears a black uniform with red sleeves, along with black open-fingered gloves and a ski mask over their face. I turn to my sides to find the same sight, only these men have gotten closer. It was stupid of me not to catch these guys while I was thinking.

"Empty out your pockets and put your hands up!" one of them orders me.

With a shrug of my shoulders, I do as I'm told. I find several coins in my pants' pocket along with other forms of money. Each of them falls to the floor and my shoes at this point, the coins clinking to the ground. I begin to run my hands through my jacket pockets now to find the pair of stainless steel Makarov pistols that Gaignun bought for me recently. I raise my hands to show them my weapons, each of them naturally readying their guns again as I show them. Before I can try anything however, the closest guy hits me with the butt of his rifle on the left side of my face. I begin to fall in an angle now, my left leg kicking up at this point as I fall. My right hand meets with the ground now, the tips of my nails sliding underneath several coins for a second. My hand naturally flicks them upward after the back of my wrist meets with the floor, sending each of the coins toward the enemies in front of me. At this point, I rise my left arm before the left side of my body meets with the floor, my hand quickly catching one of my pistols and immediately pull its trigger. The bullet from the shot quickly ricochets off the first coin I tossed up from my shoe from when the soldier hit me. It ricochets off another one later, and then another, bouncing between the coins that now surround each of the soldiers in the area. The same bullet pierces through six of the men, the remaining one unaware of what happened, looking around the area as if there were some kind of reinforcements trying to help me out.

"What the hell was that!" one of them exclaims after realizing there are no reinforcements.

Before either of them can make another move, I take my other gun off the ground now and open fire on the ones to the left of me. Each of them falls quickly, but the shots have collected the attention of the remaining eight men. Each of them begins to shoot at me now, but I'm able to evade each of their bullets by diving into the nearest bush. I push my back against the shrubbery now, loading a fresh clip into each of my guns. I begin to hear rustling on both sides of the brush now, and naturally I open fire at the sound. I hear three thuds after firing, and naturally I run out of my cover afterwards. The remaining five try to chase me with their rifles blasting, but I manage to take out two of them while making my escape. I dive into the first corner I see, pressing my back against it. My left hand peaks over the edge at this point and fires two more shots. I hear another thud after, leaving me four guys left. I have to end this now, I can't let them get to the rest of the Foundation.

I turn to my right now and find a fire extinguisher attached to the wall. This is just what I needed to end this fight. I take the extinguisher and lob it at the edge of the corner. As I predicted, a hail of bullets meets with the device, filling the area with steam. The firing stops at this point and allows me to leave my corner as I find each of the enemy soldiers rubbing their eyes. At this point I unleash the remaining shots in my pistols on them, sending each of them to the floor instantaneously.

"Man, that was a close one," I sigh.

I put my weapons away now and walk back to where the men lie. I begin to dig through one of their pockets and find a wallet with a picture ID inside. I can't help but nearly stumble back upon seeing the ID. It's not the identity of the person that shocks me, but the organization that this ID is supposed to be for, it's...

"Yuriev's Private Forces," I find a pistol pointed at my temple now. "It's been a long time, U.R.T.V. #666, Rubedo."

This voice, it's one I haven't heard in fourteen years. Resolute and cold, the very tone a reflection of their heart. It can't be though, this person was supposed to have died back in Miltia! We see saw it happen too, there's no way...

"Citrine, you're... alive?"

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

We've been walking through the forest for several hours now. This marks the third day I've been stuck here, but at least now I'm not alone anymore. Traveling with this -Lamb- who calls himself Fei hasn't been as bad as I thought it'd be. I was surprised by the fact that he saved me yesterday after being struck by one of those weird creatures, it surprised me even more when he tended to my wounds and shared some of his rations with me afterwards. He hasn't tried to provoke me either since, he hasn't tried anything to harm himself. Still, it makes me wonder...

"Fei...," I call out to my comrade. "Yesterday you said your life was worthless. What did you mean by that?"

"Why are you asking?" my words cause him to stop him in his tracks.

"Why? Yesterday you looked like you had a death wish," I explain to him. "You think it wouldn't make me wonder...? Say, how did you get stranded in this forest in the first place?"

"I should ask you the same question."

"Huh? Well, I, errh...," I stutter, not sure where to begin my story.

"I...ran away...from my village...," he tells me, "or at least what's left of it..."

"Village...?" his words catch my interest. "You don't mean...!"

"Lahan...," he speaks, the word piercing through my conscience. "It was a small village that existed between this forest and the mountain range. I ran away from there."

"That village...?"

"It was a nice peaceful village," the long-haired -Lamb- continues. "Everyone there treated me like family. Then, last night, a group of Gears suddenly appeared and started fighting right in the middle of the place. The village was engulfed in flames... I couldn't just stand there and watch Lahan be destroyed... So to try and save the villagers, I got in an empty Gear... without even knowing how to operate it. I just thought maybe I could do it... ...no..., it was more like someone was whispering to me... Someone whispering to me... telling me to do it... But it was a disaster! The village..."

He grew silent afterwards, his head now lingering downward. His hands began to close into fists, his nose beginning to sniffle, his shoulders bobbing with them.

"Was it destroyed by the Kislev Army?" I ask, despite fearing that what I say may hurt him more. "Fei...?"

"No...," he answered after several moments. "The village was destroyed... by me...," he admits. "Yes. It was me. I destroyed Lahan. I'm sure of it..."

"What do you mean you destroyed it?" I ask, his words not making any sense. "I thought you were trying to help the villagers?"

"I did try to help," Fei explains. "I actually took out a few Gears. But then I came under heavy fire from a new group of Gears... And then my friend... Timothy... was hit by a hail of bullets... Then I lost it... Everything just went dark... I don't remember anything after that. The Gear I was in went out of control... Well, that's what Doc said. When I came to... the village... and everything in it... was... Alice... She was such a... Alice and Timothy... Oh god...! Everybody... All such good people..."

"Went out of control...?" I can't help but ask. "The Gear...? What about the village? Fei?"

"...yes, the Gear!" was all he could say.

The Gear did it. No, that's not the truth. The truth is it was my fault why the village was destroyed. I had no idea that the Kislev Army would just suddenly attack at after we landed there. It was three nights ago, my squad and I had just stolen a top secret Gear out of the capital of Kislev, Nortune. We were being pursued by several Kislev Gears, even when we passed over to Aveh Territory.

"Damn them...," I remember my squad leader swearing as we tried to make our escape. "They're still giving chase."

"We've entered Aveh Territory...," the soldier in the stolen Gear informed us. "I'm not giving up now. This Gear's too important..."

The enemy Gears began to fire at that moment. I remember shifting my Gear to the left to avoid the first barrage, and then back to the right while increasing altitude to dodge the next. I couldn't return fire unfortunately, doing so would put my own life at risk as there was enough time to both dodge and retaliate. A third barrage soon followed, but unfortunately, I was unable to dodge this one; several of the bullets had lodged into the back of my craft.

"That's done it!" the pilot in the stolen Gear exclaimed after being struck in the same attack. "I'm at a disadvantage now. Van Houten? What's wrong? Respond!"

"Sh, Shrapnel... in my back," I reported. "My thrusters' output is dropping. I can't maintain altitude."

"Damn it!" my squad leader swore again upon hearing my status. "Everyone, land now!" he ordered. "Regroup on the ground. We'll have to engage them!"

Unfortunately I was shot when we were hovering above a village, that village being Lahan. The moment we hit the ground, I deserted my Gear, two Kislev Gears opening fire the moment they saw me escape my machine. I remember somehow dodging each bullet, but the shots had met with houses of the village instead. The soldiers stopped firing at me the moment they realized their bullets had hit the civilians' homes, instead, turning their fire toward the structures in the area. I wanted to do something to stop them, but...

"Van Houten, get out of here!" my squad leader ordered me in his Gear.

"But Sir...!"

"Rendezvous in the forest to the south of here. We'll meet you at the entrance at 0200 hours, got it? Now go!"

And that's how I wound up here, but my teammates never arrived. I can only assume the worse and...

"If they had never come to the village," Fei interrupts my thoughts, "never started fighting there... Then I wouldn't have tried to pilot that Gear. It's all their fault... Not mine! They're the ones to blame," his last words begin to boil my blood. "If they'd never come... none of this would have... if not for them!" he began to yell, his fist meeting with the closest tree. "Them! Them! Them!"

"Enough of that!" I found myself screaming at him. "You're a coward!"

"A coward?" he asked, his voice lowering. "...Me?"

"Yes, you're a coward," I continued to defend myself. "All you're saying is 'them, them, them.' Don't talk as if you had no part of the blame as well!"

"I'm to blame...?"

"Yes, that's right! Of course the direct cause of the battle was that a Gear made an emergency landing in your village, but all Kislev wanted was the Gear, right? They weren't invading or out to destroy Lahan. The real damage occurred because you climbed in a Gear and tried to fight back!" I yell. "What ever made you get into that Gear? Not just anyone can pilot them! It takes training! There is no way a civilian can hope to pilot one! Besides... you should have been helping the villagers flee to safety instead! How can you blame the damage on a Gear when it was your decision to fight in it in the first place? Why don't you take some responsibility for yourself! Why are you putting all the blame on others? That's just running away! That's what makes you a coward!"

"Well if you put it that way... Yes... that's right, I am a coward!" his words began to shock me. "I didn't realize my own strength and have been blaming what happened as a result of that on others. I'm a pitiful excuse for a man. But... I just felt this rush of blood in me and I couldn't help myself... or help others."

I begin to feel bad about what I had just said. It's true he got inside the Gear, but he was just trying to defend his village. If anything, it was my fault for landing there in the first place, I'm the one to blame. If I had been more careful and dodged the enemy fire, my squad and I wouldn't have... It's not his fault, it's mine. I'm the one running away, I'm the one at fault, I'm the coward.

"Fei, I, I'm..."

"Shut up!" he yells at me, sulking to the floor. "What do you know! When I came to I was surrounded by piles of rubble... I didn't know what had happened or what I had done. I remembered absolutely nothing. All I knew was that my hands could still feel what they had done. The only thing that penetrated the Gear's barrier were screams... Screams accompanied by the stench of blood, the sound of crushing bones, and my own curses. Look! Look at my hands! Can you hear their voices? Can you understand this feeling? The feeling of having destroyed your village with your own hands...? Of not being able to do anything for the children left behind...? Now they have nothing... I have nothing... I have nowhere... No one... I didn't want to get it... I had no choice... There was no other way..."

I wake up now after hearing this. Again I have had a strange dream, this time it had that young man that was in my first dream. That man, Fei... he bears a striking resemblance to Abel, why is that? Why am I having these dreams in the first place? So much has just been happening lately. The events that occurred last month, Miang awakening, Vector's attempt to take me back, the Zohar Project starting, my fights with Shion and Jin, and these weird dreams, I don't know how much more I can take. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind at this rate, this is just too much for me! I can't... I can't...

"Help me...," I find myself curling in a ball. "Please... Someone, help me... Shion, Miang, MOMO, chaos, Jr., Ziggy, Jin, Abel, Miyuki, Allen, somebody, anybody, HELP ME!"

No one comes for my cries though, the tears can't help but fall as I ball myself further in this corner. I realize that no one can help me now, that it was my decision to come here in the first place. I chose to come to the Ormus Sect all by myself in an attempt to stop them from going through with the Zohar Project. It was very reckless of me to do so, so immature. I shouldn't have done such a thing.

The very sight of this room frightens me, there's barely anything here. There's only a toilet, a sink, and the bed I'm sitting on. The smell of rusted iron fills the air, drops of water leak from random spots of the ceiling, nothing here is in good condition. Each of the walls has at least one crack, even the door in here has a tiny one. I can hear other prisoners from outside the door; some of them yell to be let out, others scream, and a very small number laugh maniacally. Shion, please..., hold me, call my name, run your fingers through my hair, press your lips on my brow, please just let me know everything is going to be okay. Please...

The door to my cell opens now, but I already know who it is. My body begins to loosen the moment I see her face, my frown slowly disappearing as she approaches me. I try my best to smile as she stops in front of me, but she does not return the expression. Instead, she stares down at me, with a glare on her face. My smile slowly melts upon seeing this, my face turning to the side and my cheek stinging with the swing of her palm.

"You idiot, what were you thinking!" she yells at me.

"Miang...?" I take hold of my cheek.

"How could you leave Mother all by herself!" she yells. "Did you even think about how much she'd worry about you if you did this?"

"I'm sorry, Miang, but..."

"But what! Did you think your actions would be so noble and spare everyone trouble by trying to go off on your own? That's just being selfish, Elly! Not just selfish, stupid! Mother is probably really worried about you right now, crying over and over again now that you've left her side. And what about your friends, I'm sure they're worried too."

"But, Miang..."

"But nothing! You think you're so brave and noble, trying to play 'hero' so that others won't have to suffer, but let me tell you something, Elly, your actions are nothing but downright stupid and immature!"

"And what would you know about being stupid and immature!" I retort. "You, the one who tried to replace me not too long ago! You claimed that all you ever wanted was to love and be loved, yet even when you got that, you still tried to replace me. If anyone here is stupid and immature, it's you, Miang!"

"Unlike you though, I learned from that experience!" my sister snaps back. "And what are you doing to rectify your situation? Do you think crying and huddling in a corner is going to do anything! I, however, am trying to atone for what I did."

"And just how are you doing that! You're following their orders for their own selfish ambitions. I wouldn't call that atonement, that's the exact opposite!"

"I'm trying to help you, aren't I!" Miang asks, her tone still full of anger. "I may be following orders to repay my debt, but I'm still trying to aid your cause. Why else did I spare you those times we fought? Why else are you still alive now? If it weren't for me, you, Mother, and all of your friends would be dead now!"

"...you may be right, but that still doesn't justify atonement," I tell her, beginning to calm down.

"...I know," she nods, her sinking to the floor.

Silence begins to fill the room again, neither of us can find any more words to say. My sister takes a seat next to me, but her eyes are still pointed toward the ground. I must have said too much just now, but even so, it just isn't right for her to follow her superiors' orders, especially knowing what the end result. I want to try and say something else to her, but nothing else comes to mind. Now that I think about it, I've never really had much of a chance to just talk with my sister, but for some reason, I can't think of anything to talk about with her.

"...Elly, do you have nightmares?" my sister suddenly asks.

"...sometimes," I answer.

"What are they of?"

"...sometimes I dream of being somewhere else. No, someone else as well. I don't know how to describe it, but lately I've been having these strange dreams. Most of them involve me hurting someone, either physically or mentally. In one I killed several men who tried to attack me, but these men were also classmates of mine. In another, I was responsible for the destruction of a village, I had unwillingly led several A.M.W.S., or 'Gears' as they're called in my dreams, to it. The end result in each of them is the same," I find myself huddling into a ball again, "I'm all alone, my hands tainted with blood. The blood isn't always physically on my hands, but on my conscience. I want to call out to somebody, anybody, but no one is there for me. And with what's going on now in my life, I... I don't know how much more I can take. Why, Miang?" I ask her. "Why us, why do we have to be the ones who have to carry such heavy burdens? I never wanted any of this, I never chose to go through with such things, I just..."

"Sh, calm down," I find her arms beginning to wrap around me. "It's okay, I'm here now. You're not the only one who has nightmares, I have bad dreams too."

"You do?"

"Yes," she nods. "Every night, I dream of you and Mother. The two of you are always so happy together, laughing and playing, but every time I see you, I'm far away. I try to run to both of you, but both of you walk ahead of me, never stopping. With every step I take, I find both of you drifting further and further away from me. I try to call out to you, but you don't hear my words. I say your names louder and louder, but still, you don't look at me, you both continue to walk away until you fully disappear from my sight. I stop in my tracks after that and it begins to rain. I would fall on my knees and begin to cry, my voice weakly calling for you two between my sobs, but you don't come, you never come," she begins to sniffle. "After that, I always wake up in tears, and just like in my dreams, I'm all alone. Machines aren't supposed to have feelings like this, but 'he' says I'm different, that I'm special, which is exactly why 'he' needs me. I may be doing all of this for 'him,' but every time I wake up, every time I cry, I..."

"But I'm here now, Miang," I assure her. "I'll always be here just as you're here for me right now. You and I were raised apart, but we're together now, aren't we? If you call, I will answer. You're not alone, Miang, I'll be with you as long as you'll be with me."

"Elly, thank you."

Her hold on me is as tight as ever and the streams that run down our cheeks begin to dry. I find myself beginning to feel at ease a little more now, my own arms beginning to wrap around my sister's waist. Her breath tickles my lips, the smell of her hair feels as if it were melting me from within, it makes my body sink to the mattress now. My sister doesn't let me though, she catches my fall, cradling my head and bringing it to her heart. I feel the device beating now, slowly thumping against her breast as if it were trying to sing me a lullaby.

"Shion always holds me like this," I tell her, nestling my face closer to the source of the beats. "Every night when we go to sleep, she always cradles me."

"Like a mother and her child?" Miang asks.

"That's right," I nod. "But I can't stay a child forever," I continue. "I can't always come to rely on everyone when I'm distressed, and I can't always be selfish just as you said. Everything I do just shows my naivety, I'm never going to be an adult at this rate."

"You can't just grow up over night," my sister tells me. "Just rest now, you can consider tomorrow to be your first day of growing up."

"All right," I begin to nuzzle toward my sister's heart.

My sister claims to still be a machine, yet she has emotions just like I do. Her body is mechanical, yes, but the beating inside her breast is nothing a weapon can copy. She is special just as this man she mentions says, it's just as I told her not too long ago. If we can love, then we have a heart.

My body begins to grow really light now, the darkness beginning to envelop me. I'm not scared though, I know she'll still be with me when I wake up. I can still hear her heart; though it is faint, I hear it in front of my ear, its pace matching my own.

* * *

(MOMO's POV) 

I wonder where Jr. went. I tried looking for him in the Foundation's Residential Area, but no one claims to have seen him there today. I just tried the Bridge on the Durandal as well, but Mary, Shelley, and all of my little sisters haven't seen him either. The only other place I can think of is the Park Area.

The train comes to a stop now and the doors begin to open. I get out of my seat now, but before I can take a single step, some men in masks quickly run inside, each of them with some kind of gun in their hands.

"Everybody on the floor, now!" one of the orders as he fires several shots into the ceiling.

Everyone in the car including myself quickly does as they were ordered, huddling toward the seats of the car in groups. I can't help but tremble like the rest of the people in here, they all just came here without warning.

"This entire facility is now in control of the Yuriev Private Army," one of the men announces. "As long as you do as you're told, no harm will come to you. Any attempts to try and contact the outside world for whatever reason will be countered with physical force."

Where did these men come from, and what do they want? I wonder how they even got in the Foundation to begin with. Could they be after the Zohars, or after...?

"There's supposed to be 100-Series in the Foundation with the Y-Data," I overhear a conversation between the soldiers in the front, "some military Realian's got it as well."

"As far as I know, all the 100-Series are supposed to be on the Bridge, let's head there first," another soldier speaks.

All of the soldiers head to the front of the train now and the doors begin to close. With all of their back turned now, I begin to slip away from the crowds of people, walking toward the nearest exit. By the time I make it to the doors, one of the men suddenly turns around and sees me.

"Hey you!" the man begins to rapidly approach me.

Before he can do anything else, I quickly push through the gap of the train's doors, the doors immediately closing after I make it through. I begin to run toward the Park Area now, but the soldier from before pokes his gun out of the window and begins aiming. I try to push my feet deeper into the ground so that I can run faster, but I don't know if...

"Let her go," I look back to the train to find another soldier stopping his comrade, "she's just a little girl."

"Fine," the one pointing the gun at me stops.

The train begins to move out of the area now. I breathe a sigh of relief now that their gone, but I can't help but worry about the others. I begin to walk toward the park itself now but I don't see any more of those bad men luckily. I begin to make my way into the actual park, but I quickly hide behind the nearest corner the moment I see what's in the center area. There's a woman with a gun in her hand and Jr. at the end of its barrel.

"You're supposed to be dead, Citrine," Jr. yells at the woman, trying to escape the wrap of her arm, "we all saw you die!"

"How am I supposed to die when I haven't fulfilled my role yet?" she asks. "Isn't that the same reason all of four of us still live? We U.R.T.V.'s solely exist to eradicate U-DO, do we not? What other purpose was there for our creation? Actually, that inferior number, #667, he's complete lost sight of our true objective, but then again, he always was a weakling."

"Still the same overconfident bitch you always were, I see," Jr. retorts.

"And you've grown even weaker since the last time I saw you," the blond-haired woman pushes her gun further into Jr.'s temple. "I never thought you'd try and live a life like this. Did Albedo's dream have something to do with it? I'm not surprised Nigredo turned out like this, but you? Come to think of it, maybe it had something to do with Mizrahi's brain-dead girl."

"Don't you ever mention her like that!" Jr. screams.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" Citrine scoffs. "One wrong move and my finger may accidentally pull the trigger."

I have to do something to help him, but I don't know what. If I try to go out there at all, she might shoot Jr. I can't go back for help either, the train's gone and I have no way of going back to where Ziggy is. There might be more of those men around the Foundation as well, and I don't know what will happen to Jr. if I leave. I don't know what to do, but I can't just...

Wait, what's this sensation? Something's coming. No, not now, it can't be! Of all times, why now?

"Warning, large-scale gate out," Shelley's voice echoes over the intercom system. "Repeat, large-scale gate out. A legion of Gnosis has just been spotted twenty miles north of the Foundation. All civilians evacuate to your assigned shelters. Military Personnel in squadrons 15 through 30 report to your assigned A.G.W.S. Unit. Military Personnel in other squadrons are to report to Sections 12 and 13 for additional orders. I repeat..."

"Great!" Citrine spits, releasing her hold on Jr. "I wasn't expecting this."

"Are you going to turn tail now and run?" Jr. asks as he dusts himself off.

"No, I told you that our purpose was to eradicate U-DO, and that includes everything that's involved with it," she tells Jr. "Including the one out there."

I look out the window as well to see a sight I never wanted to see again. That giant machine, that white craft. I can hear him laughing again, I can hear his voice from inside the craft. I can see his claw-like fingers on the controls, wrapping them around tightly as if he were strangling them. He flies toward the incoming Gnosis as if they were nothing, their forms still translucent. His machine begins to touch them, and at that moment, the one before him solidify for only a second before exploding. I can hear him laughing again, and I hear his voice.

"Weak!" he cries maniacally. "They're all so weak!"

"A...Albedo..."

* * *

XenoMark's note: Well that was hard to write as usual. The team and I have been wanting to write Albedo and Citrine in for a while now, and finally we've gotten our chance. In any case, sorry for the slowness in the beginning of the chapter, we couldn't really show most of the characters' pasts in the previous chapter and whatnot, so I thought I'd get more of it out of the way in this one. Jr. and Ziggy's past will show up more often in this fic later on (more so with Ziggy), along with chaos's which hasn't been explored yet. Anyways, Xenogears fans may recognize Elly's dream in this chapter from near the beginning of disc 1, before Fei gets Weltall back (Weltall is Fei's Gear for those who haven't played Xenogears). As for Elly's conversation with Miang, it may seem like a step back from some of her development seen in the previous chapter, but keep in mind that Elly's growing up in a sense. In this point in her maturity, she's going though some teen angst and depression. We can also see the same in Miang with her conversation with Elly, although Miang's angst is coming from the lack of having a family when she was maturing. I'm enjoying the evolution of their characters so far, I just hope you readers are enjoying it as well. In any case, in the next chapter, we'll have a reunion of the four U.R.T.V. Variants and the arrival to Old Miltia, along with the beginning of Elly's escape from the Ormus Sect. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and hope you look forward to the next. The more reviews we get, the faster we'll try and bring the next chapter out, but no flames as usual. Well see ya! 


	7. Marionettes

XenoMark's Note: I know the last chapter was slow, but we'll try to speed things up for this chapter with the Gnosis attack and whatnot. In this chapter, we'll finally get to see chaos in action (though he might seem a bit of character during this part), as well as a fight with Albedo. Even though Canaan's character wasn't really explored in Xenosaga Episode 2 (he was pretty much just wallpaper on the Elsa for most of the game), we'll get a look into his character in this fic, he'll actually do something and have some use. Also we get to learn a little bit about what the Zohar Project is in this chapter, along with what the Ormus Sect has in store for Elly and Miang. Unfortunately the romance is still being put on hold for now, but we'll try to put it back in the next chapter. Also, art for this fic is now being posted (see our profile to get the URL; there's even a piece of Elly I drew for this chapter). Not sure what else to say, but let's get to the story.

* * *

Chapter 7: Marionettes

(Jin's POV)

The color red, it's been so long since I've seen the ruby elixir of life flow so freely, it's been so long since I've had my blade cleave through another human being.

"Miss Yui, children, hurry, this way!" I order.

These men in red and black attacked so suddenly. Miss Yui and I were making preparations to evacuate the Foundation, but before we knew it, several of these men forced their way into the temporary orphanage. Currently we're trying to get out of the Residential Area, but with every corner we turn, we seem to run into more of these soldiers.

"There they are, stop them!" two more soldiers appear the moment we turn the corner.

I quickly begin to rush forward with all my strength, the men beginning to open fire on me. Their aim is inaccurate luckily, each of their shots striking only the walls or the ground. After a few seconds I find myself almost within arm's reach of these men, my right hand pulling my katana out of its sheath as my arm swings it to the side. The steel curve quickly slices through one of the men's flesh, a geyser of crimson erupting from his chest the second after the blade is extracted. The remaining soldier brings his rifle upward in attempt to block my next swing, but the material of his weapon is weak as it splits in half after my sword makes contact with his gun. He falls quickly after, his body sprawled out on the ground as a lake of blood forms beneath his corpse.

"Is everyone all right?" I ask Miss Yui and the children.

"I wanna go home!" Abel cries.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be okay," Miss Yui assures the child. "Just be a big boy, Mr. Jin will get us home soon and everything will be all right, okay?"

I don't know if I can do exactly what Miss Yui tells the boy. We've already come across a total of ten of these men, I'm sure there's a lot more waiting for us as well. I can't exactly tell if I can bring everyone back to Second Miltia either, they may have taken over the docks as well. These soldiers aren't amateurs either, it's obvious that they've had some sort of military training, they've taken over this entire section of the Foundation without alerting us of their presence until now.

"Jin, above you!" Miss Yui warns.

I look up and find three more of these men on the rooftops of the building, each of them with some sort of firearm pointed at me and the others. I order Miss Yui and the children to run back in the direction we came, only to find ourselves in the same situation the moment we turn the corner, this time there are six men on the roofs. More soldiers appear after, these ones from behind and on the same ground level as us. They begin to close in on us, leaving us no more room to move. If it were just Miss Yui and I, I'm sure we could get ourselves out of this situation, but with the children, we can't afford to take any risks.

"Great...," I mumble underneath my breath.

"You gave us quite a chase there, Mr. Samurai," one of the soldiers says in a mocking tone. "Did you really think you could get away from us that easily, especially with these kids?"

"Leave the children out of this," Miss Yui orders the men, "they've done nothing wrong."

"We've got our orders, lady, and our orders were to imprison every person in the Foundation, man, woman, or child. We assure you that no harm will come to you if you follow our orders."

"Your orders are now revoked," another voice enters the area now.

All of the soldiers lower their weapons at this point, all of them parting to the sides to reveal a woman I had never seen before and next to her are Jr. and MOMO.

"You heard the announcement, right?" the woman asks all the soldiers. "The Gnosis have been spotted outside the Foundation, there's no time to go through with the rest of the operation."

"Then, what are our orders now, Lady Citrine?"

"We will assist the Kukai Foundation in dealing with this threat," the woman answers. "We will withdraw from our current mission and..."

"Jin, Miss Yui, are you and the kids all right?" MOMO asks us as Citrine continues giving orders to her men.

"Yes, but what exactly is going on here?" Miss Yui asks.

"We'll explain later, right now the Gnosis are invading the Foundation," Jr. informs us. "We have to get the civilians to the shelters and clear out the Gnosis that have already made their way inside."

"I'll assist in the evacuation," I volunteer.

"I'll go too," Miss Yui says.

"No, it's too dangerous," Jr. tells her.

"What do you mean too dangerous?" Miss Yui spits. "I've been in worse situations when Jin and I were in the Miltian Military. I may not look it, but I'm just as capable as Jin with a sword."

"As much as I'd like to support you, Miss Yui, I'm afraid I can't this time," I tell her.

"And just why not? You always get into a trouble whenever I'm not around."

"That may be true, but who will take care of the children while we're away?" I point out. "I know that this situation is very hard for them, we can't just let them stay in a shelter by themselves or with strangers."

"...I suppose you're right."

"I might as well take her place then," Citrine sighs.

"What?" the words shock Jr. "Why would you...?"

"That weakling, Albedo, I'm sure I'll run into him if I stick with you," Citrine explains. "That, and I just might bump into Nigredo as well. We'll have a little family reunion, isn't it sweet?" she asks in a sarcastic tone.

"The Gnosis are already in Sectors 26 and 27," MOMO senses, "we have to hurry. If this keeps up..."

"Then let's go already!" Jr. orders.

* * *

(Miang's POV) 

The sun is rather warm today and the breeze so gentle. The blades of grass dance at my feet, the tips tickling my skin. I look up into the sky to find and endless blue without a cloud in sight; I look forward to see the colors of green and white, a field of flowers is what fills my vision. I begin to run through the field now, running through the endless trail of flora and fauna until I reach the pinnacle of a hill. The field truly does look endless where I stand, nothing but the colors of green and white. No, there's something else I see, it's faint, but I see more colors. Not just colors, people, two of them to be exact. A smile quickly curls on my lips after, my entire body filled with energy once again.

"Elly! Mother!" I call out to them.

The two of them are frolicking in the field hand-in-hand, smiles stretched across both of their faces. I try to call out to them once again, but the result is the same as the last. They continue to dance, their attention still not lingering toward me. I begin to run down the hill now and call out to them once again, but at this point they begin to turn away, their expressions still happy. They begin to walk and I find myself running faster. Faster and faster I try to push myself, but no matter how hard I push, no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to keep up with them.

"Mother! Elly!" I call again.

Again, they do not stop, their figures growing smaller and smaller, slowly merging into the edge of the field. I cry out for them again, calling out at the top of my lungs, but again, they walk as if they haven't heard me. Within seconds, they are gone, their forms nowhere to be found in this infinite field. I come to a stop once again, this time not out of shortness of breath, but by another feeling. Streams begin to escape my eyes at this point, my nose suddenly becoming congested, and my throat dry. The sky begins to darken at this point, the breeze disappearing, and the field turning black. Thunder begins to fill my ears as a small tap falls on my arm. Another follows, and then another shortly after. More and more do I feel taps falling upon my body, and before I know it, these taps have created rivers that run down my entire being. No, not all of these rivers were created from the rain, two of them are of my own creation.

I find my knees weakening at this point, falling to the now muddy ground. My nose begins to sniffle, but it doesn't help my congestion, if anything it makes it worse. I feel something inside me is broken, torn right in half, but I cannot tell what it is. My voice hiccups a little at first, the hiccups growing louder until it becomes a whimper. The whimpers become more rapid with every raindrop that meets with my head, my hands falling into my palms in an effort to contain the floods that escape my eyes. I can do nothing but sit here, my entire being once again consumed by emotion, consumed once again by loneliness.

It is now that I wake up, my cheeks still wet from the tears from my dreams. I sniffle a little bit more and bring my hands toward my eyes, cutting off the stream that runs from them. I stop however when my left arm tries to move to my face, there is something that is pressing against it. No, it isn't just pressing against my arm, but my chest as well. I turn to the source of the weight to find something pressing against me. No, not something, someone. Cerulean blue hair, snow white skin, it is none other than my other half, my little sister.

"Elly...," I barely call her name.

I had forgotten that I fell asleep with her earlier this morning. The poor thing came all the way out here on her own, but I can't sympathize with her entirely unfortunately. She left Mother all by herself, and she came here by herself in an attempt to save everybody. This is so rash of her, not like how she was when she was still an android. Still, I suppose it's better this way, because the first time since I can remember, I haven't woke up to find myself alone.

"Miang...," my little sister begins to wake up now.

"Good morning, Elly," I greet her. "Or should I say, good afternoon?"

"Afternoon? What time is it?" she yawns.

"It's about 1300 hours in Standard Miltian Time," I tell her. "You've been asleep for three hours, did you not get enough sleep last night before you came here?"

"I guess you can say that," she answers.

"Well that's enough idle chatter," I tell her, "I have to get you out of here."

"All right," she nods.

I open the door to her cell now and take a moment to look down the hall to make sure no one is around. The entire area is desolate with the exception of the other prisoners. I quickly signal Elly out of her cell now and lead her to the door at the end of the hall. Again there is no sign of anyone on the other side so I open the door for her.

"Where are we?" she asks after I lead her inside.

"This is the prison ward's office," I tell her as I rummage through the confiscated material closet. "I believe these are yours," I find her sword and blaster in the corner.

"Thanks," she takes the weapon back.

"Along with these, right?" I find her pair of glasses in a plastic bag. "I'm surprised they didn't break when Lady Orgulla struck them to the floor."

"It must be strong material," she says as she puts the accessory back on.

"The door to your right will lead you into the main area," I direct her. "From there, continue to follow the corridors to the south and you'll eventually make it to the twelfth hangar, that's where your craft is being stored."

"How's security at this time?" she asks.

"It shouldn't be too bad," I answer, "most of the sect is in prayer now. You'll only have about an hour to get to the E.S. Dinah before security returns to normal. That should barely be enough time. In any case, I have to return to my quarters, I've been gone longer than I had expected."

"Wait, Miang," my sister stops me. "Come with me. Both of us know that you don't really want to be here, so why not come with me? Please, Miang, you said that they need your personal data in order to complete the mass-produced KOS-MOS units. If you come with me, they can't input the data and together we can..."

"I'm sorry, Elly, but I can't," I regretfully interrupt her. "Like I've said before, I have a debt to those who have brought me into this world, and I intend to repay them for it. I really do wish I can go with you, Elly, but I can't. I have my duty, just as you have yours to protect Mother and your friends. The next time we meet, we'll be enemies. I'm sorry, Elly, but this is the way things must be."

"...I...I understand, Miang," Elly tells me after a moment of hesitation. "I appreciate everything you've done for me and Shion these past few days, but..."

"That's enough, just go," I turn away, trying my best to hold back my tears. "Go!"

"All right. Goodbye, Miang."

The next thing I hear is the sound of the door slamming on her way out. The tears begin to run down my face at this point and my lips quivering. I find myself crying, but this time it is not out of sadness but from joy. My sister truly does care for me, asking me to go with her despite the things I've done in the past. It was nice to finally wake up next to someone, to not be alone and crying. Thank you, Elly, thank you for bringing a smile to my face, even if that smile is but temporary.

"You've done well," I hear my master's voice now.

"...is it all right to just let her go like this?" I ask.

"This is the role Master Wilhelm has given her," I find myself being pulled into his embrace. "This is her destiny after all. Not just hers, but yours as well, Miang."

"I know," I bring my hand onto his. "Still, despite how she appears, she is just a child. She will go through...many hardships as she follows the path Fate has laid out for her. I would know, I went through the same path when 'she' merged with us back then."

"Hardship or not, she must fulfill her role no matter what the cost," Master Wilhelm appears now, stepping out of the shadows.

"I intend to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens," I assure Master Wilhelm. "Because of my fate, no, because I am her sister, I won't allow her to fail in her task."

I'm sorry Elly, but the completion of our goal relies upon you...

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

The Ormus Sect, more widely known as the Immigrant Fleet, they were said to be the first people to leave Lost Jerusalem and journey out into the reaches of space. They are a very religious group, the Zohar lying in the center of their beliefs. They believe that the Zohar was a gift from the heavens and that it is the key to Mankind's salvation, perhaps this is why they are a key factor in the Zohar Project.

I find myself in a large hallway now, the walls and randomly placed columns all appear to be made from black marble. Two more hallways link with this one, both linking the east to the west. The entire area is well kept, there isn't a speck of dust or dirt. I can hear the sound of Ormus prayers echoing throughout the hallways, streaming through the intercom system. Every wall and column contains the cross of Ormus as well, my outfit definitely stand outs from the colors of the area and the Sect's members.

I hear footsteps not too far from my current locale along with the sound of several voices. I run to the nearest column at this point and press my back against it in an effort to avoid being detected. Their voices and steps grow closer and closer, my instincts already making me draw my sword, ready to jump out so that I may strike them down before they can alert any others. The need to attack does not arise though, as the individuals voices and steps pass the corner, the sounds growing quieter and quieter with every passing second. I leave the column now to watch the men pass through a door at the end of the hallway to the west.

I continue south now and come across the second hallway. I hide behind the nearest column once again and scout ahead. There are no signs of any others that may walk down this hallway, but I notice a camera planted near the ceiling of the right corner. I remove my blaster from my garter and set the blast's power to minimum, taking aim soon after. With the security device in my sight, I pull the trigger quickly, the tiny beam that escapes its barrel destroying the lens of the camera. I scout the corners once again for any similar devices but find none. I return my firearm to my garter now and continue down the hallway until I stop at the door to the south.

I press the switch for the door and ready my sword again as the metal device slides open. To my relief, there are no guards or anybody else in the area. This new area is big contrast to the last one; there is hardly any light here, only a faint green glow that goes along the floor toward the end of this hallway. I can see circular bases of devices through the dimly lit area, along with the sound of waves of liquid. I try to ignore the sound of the liquid and try to head to the end of the hallway. About halfway however, the devices that are aligned to the sides of the lights begin to glow a faint green, illuminating the entire area. I turn my attention to the left side of the room, only to find a sight I had not wanted to see again.

I find myself nearly stumbling again when I see those monotone faces, that dull blue hair, and the marks of "KOS-MOS" on their foreheads. I try to breathe in deeply to prevent myself from panicking once more, but I hardly have the time to do so as the sound metal humming echoes from above. I turn toward the ceiling now to the translucent ground I was standing on when I was captured, along with the figures of the Patriarch and a man dressed in violet with a scar over his right eye. My eyes begin to shift left and right, looking for a place to hide, but I have little time to look as they draw closer to my current locale. I head in between the closest containers next to me, pressing my back against one of them so that I may try to hide my figure behind the one inside. They walk closer and closer toward me, I try to hide further by shifting a quarter more to the left of the container so that my back is facing the left side of the unit inside. The two stop in the middle of the room now and I try my best not to say a single word and make a sound.

"It pleases me that you've come, Chief Inquisitor Margulis," the Patriarch addresses the man. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"No, the pleasure is mine, Your Holiness," the man bows, "but I'm afraid I have come here today on official business."

"You've come to check on the status of the mass-produced KOS-MOS units, correct?" the elder man asks.

"It's taken two years to get them to the final stages of their development," Margulis speaks as he approaches one of the containers. "If the original archetype had not been destroyed two years ago, then the Project would have begun sooner."

"That's not true, Margulis," the Patriarch tells him. "The truth is, the destruction of the Original Archetype was always a part of the Project, it was necessary for the creation of the 'Alpha' and the 'Omega.'"

"The First and the Last," the inquisitor translates, "in other words, you originally planned for there to be two prototype KOS-MOS units and then base the mass production of the KOS-MOS Project to be based on those two, correct?"

"That isn't entirely true," the Patriarch corrects him. "There must always be a balance between things in the universe; with light there is also darkness, with life there is death, with good there is evil. Do you remember the 'Old Prophecy' of our Sect, Margulis?"

"'When the torch of Mankind's existence has nearly come to an end, a Great Evil shall come about to extinguish the remaining light. In that moment of darkness, the Army of the Devil shall rise from the bowels of existence and unleash the Apocalypse. Before darkness fully engulfs existence however, the light will be rekindled by our Savior and her children, driving the Great Evil away from the Universe. Peace will be restored, all traces of the Great Evil becoming less than dust for the rest of Eternity,'" Margulis quotes. "If I understand correctly, you are making the two prototypes the embodiment of that prophecy?"

"That's correct," the old man nods. "The Great Evil, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1, a machine that greatly strives to become human, while our Savior, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-0, a machine that accepts her fate, and her children, the mass produced KOS-MOS Units, they were all created as a reinactment of the 'Old Prophecy.' For the Army of the Devil, who better to play the part than the Gnosis? When the Zohar Project is complete, the people shall then place their trust in Ormus, allowing us to take our rightful places as rulers of the Universe. Of course, the Federation Government wishes to take our plan for their own selfish ambitions, to further influence their power throughout the Universe."

"Yes, Your Holiness," the scarred man agrees, "the fools of the Federation Government have no intentions of restoring faith in the people, all they wish is to manipulate them further for their own ambitions."

'Is that the true nature for the Zohar Project?' I think to myself. 'Or was what the Patriarch said a lie that was fed to them by my former superiors? Whatever the case may be, the result is the same; millions, if not billions, of innocent people will die, regardless of which version may be true. I'm not sure if the Federation Government knows this though; the research conducted by Dr. Mizrahi regarding the Zohar is hidden away in MOMO and Canaan, and that information isn't complete either. The two only contain a quarter of the Y-Data altogether, an eighth is in the hands of my former employers, and the rest...'

"Who's down there?" Margulis calls down to the level below me.

The lights in the entire area turn on now, Margulis and the Patriarch quickly spot me a second later. I waste little time after they see me, running to the door to the south and quickly opening it. I find myself in a metal walkway now, with several more joining it at the end. The alarm begins to siren throughout the entire facility now, along with the voice of the Patriarch.

"KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1 has escaped!" he announces through the intercom system. "She was last located on B1 of the Mass-Production Lab. All Inquisitors are ordered to capture her, but do not kill her. I repeat, KOS-MOS Unit..."

Men in black robes begin to appear from the other walkways in front of me now. Some are armed with short swords, others with partisans, but none with firearms. I ready my blaster at this point and begin to run down my walkway. I set the blast to high again and quickly aim at the closest linking walkway, my shot striking its base. The metal bridge begins to tilt a second later, the entire thing falling soon after due to the weight of all those men. I do the same with the next three walkways I come across, the result being the same with each.

The men from the rest of the walkways have already made their way onto mine. I point my gun in front of me at this point and begin firing, not caring where I aim. Three of the five shots I fire find themselves on the two leading inquisitors, but the falling of their bodies does nothing to slow the others down. I try to fire again, but my weapon only clicks as I pull the trigger. I release my blaster from my grasp at this point and edge my hand toward my sword.

The crowd of enemies only draws closer with every step, the crowd becoming one member short the moment I free my blade from its restraint. The body of the inquisitor I just killed falls off the railing of the walkway after I cut him, but it leaves an opening for the next one. This one tries to lunge at me with a spear, my sword barely swinging back in time to deflect the lunge. My left hand takes hold of the pole part of the weapon at this time and pulls the individual in. I bring my forehead to his nose at this point, a river of blood escaping after, but instead of slashing him like his predecessor, I grab him by the collar and throw him off the side of the walkway.

A flash of metal is seen through the edge of my eye after I recover, my knees lower and my body following so that I may duck past the swing of my latest assailant. Before he can follow with another swing, I plunge my blade upward, stabbing it through his abdomen. I rise afterwards and begin to push forward with all my might, the blade piercing through his back as the tip meets with the next one behind him. I push my foot into the chest of the body in front of me afterward, causing the two corpses on my weapon to fall into the direction of the inquisitors in front of me. The next four stumble to the ground after, leaving me room to charge forward.

I swing my blade downward in a diagonal fashion, catching the next inquisitor. My arm swings again afterward, this time to the side with my weapon parallel to the ground, my body following the direction of the slash so that I may also catch the ones behind me. My blade continues to swing in all directions at this point; right, left, down, up, wherever I swing, the sound of metal striking or a splash of blood follows. The strength in my arms and legs begins to drain at this point, but no matter how much they ache, I continue to move forward. The number of enemies seems infinite, and I can't use my Ether in an enclosed area like this because I may risk destroying my only means toward the exit.

I notice at this time that the last one I had just plunged my blade through is beginning to kneel to the floor, succumbing to the stab I just inflicted. I begin to push my foot against his shoulder now, my other following after, pushing all of my weight into him so that I may leap into the air. Somehow I manage to jump across to the other side of my assailants now. I return my blade to its sheath now and point my palm at the inquisitors as my hand begins to tingle from the charging of my Ether.

"La so lu te ve ta!" I chant.

A blast of aura escapes my hand at this point, the stream blasting through the mass of enemies and the walkway. When the attack finally settles, I find no signs of my assailants, along with a majority of the bridge missing. I take a moment to catch my breath after this, but I take no longer than a minute because more inquisitors might come in through the south of here at any second. I pass through the door now and find myself in a large concrete area, very different from the other rooms I had passed earlier.

This one appears to be a warehouse with many large boxes are stored here. Numerous cranes are placed here as well, but none of them seem to be in working order at the moment. I can hear my own steps echo throughout the area as I walk, there doesn't seem to be any other signs of life. I travel further down the warehouse, but I don't see an end in sight, nor do I see the entrance when I look back. I feel my heart beginning to beat more slowly, my breathing becoming deeper, and cold perspiration running down my brow. Eventually I come to the end of the warehouse now to find another door.

"I'm impressed you've made it this far, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1," a voice begins to echo throughout the area.

"Who's there?" I call.

A faint whistle begins to blow in my left ear now, a tiny glimmer from the edge of my eye follows shortly. The glimmer grows brighter and I begin to make out a flat shape that is parallel to the ground. I duck once again to avoid the object, the device clinging to the wall behind me in an angle. I remove the piece of metal from the partition after, taking a second to inspect the object. It's the same kind of knife that was used when I fought that female inquisitor earlier. There's no doubt about it, the one who threw this is...

A figure engulfed in the shadows begins to drop to the surface now, the figure landing several feet in front of me. White hair tied in a single pig tail, pale white skin, and a black dress with many straps of leather creating the skirt, the one that was responsible for my capture.

"Orgulla...," her name barely escapes my lips.

* * *

(MOMO's POV) 

Each of us is silent as we sit in the transport to the Foundation. I can see the tension between Jr. and Citrine, despite the fact that they try to look calm. There's a spark in each of their eyes, as if it were leftover from their past, like a rivalry that was never settled. No, this goes beyond a simple squabble between family members, this is something deeper.

"Any minute now," Citrine says, loading a new clip into her pistol.

I can't help but feel unsettled as I watch Jr. and Citrine, that look in his eyes is similar to the glare he always gave Albedo. I'm afraid he may explode in any second, just like that time when he rescued me. I see his hands beginning to ball into fists as he stares at her, but she simply closes her eyes and rests her head against the wall of the transport. I place my hand on Jr.'s, averting his gaze toward me and causing his fist to loosen.

"Jr., about what happened earlier...," I try to explain what happened between me and Ziggy.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he tells me, doing his best to give me a smile, "it's not my place to choose who you've given your heart too. If that's your decision, then I completely stand by you for it."

"No Jr., how I feel about Ziggy is not the same as how I feel about..."

"It looks like we've arrived," Jin informs us before I can explain.

I look out the window of the transport and find the station already in chaos. The civilians are panicking, running around as they try to avoid the four Gnosis that occupy the area. Some are crushed by the Gnosis, others are grabbed and shatter, turning into salt after being touched by the Gnosis for a few seconds. I ready my baton as the transport finally comes to a stop, Jr. and Citrine taking to the door, their guns already pointed in preparation of what may be waiting for us outside.

As soon as the door to the transport opens, the two immediately open fire on the first Gnosis they see. The giant yellow creature falls back for a moment, but it tries to swing forward with one of its large appendages in an effort to counterattack. We all roll to the sides of the transport so that we can dodge the attack. Jin then takes his sword at this time and swipes down on the arm with all his might, severing it from the rest of the Gnosis's body. The monster emits a loud screech afterwards, staggering back for a moment as it tries to recover from the pain of losing its arm. Citrine and Jr. move in at this moment, unloading several shots into the creature until it falls, disappearing into the atmosphere after. We take this opportunity to get out of the transport car at this time, only to find ourselves standing before a larger Gnosis.

Before either of us can make a move, a stream of light suddenly strikes the side of the Gnosis, diverting its attention away from us. I turn to the source of the light to find Miyuki with a bow-like weapon in her hands and Allen. The Gnosis begins to rush towards them now, the next shot that Miyuki uses has no effect on it at all. Jr. chases after the monster, unloading the rest of the ammo in his guns until it falls to the floor. I turn to Citrine now who stands in front of a single Gnosis with a halo-like device floating above its head and two long swords in its arms. She doesn't move as the creature walks toward her, her body still not flinching as it brings its weapons downward. Before the blades can meet with her however, her arm quickly rises, the gun in her pistol unloading several rapid shots, causing the creature to fall after. I turn around to find Jin dealing with the final Gnosis, slicing it in two before it could make a single move. With the current threat now over, Jr., Citrine, Jin, and I rush over to Miyuki and Allen.

"You guys all right?" Jr. asks.

"I thought we were gonna die back there!" Allen breathes a sigh of relief.

"Oh Allen, you're exaggerating," Miyuki tells him as she swings her hand into his back. "If it weren't for my invention..."

"You almost got us killed with that thing!" Allen interrupts.

"At least you're still alive," I interrupt the two.

"Have either of you seen Shion?" Jin asks.

"The Chief? No, we thought she was with you," Miyuki answers. "We saw Ziggy, Canaan, and chaos though, they went to Sectors 26 and 27 where the main threat is. They're still trying to get some of the civilians to safety. Gaignun Kukai's over there too, he said there was a machine or something that was hovering over the area and wanted to check it out personally."

"Albedo...," Jr. growls.

"So the weakling is already here," Citrine scoffs. "Our little reunion will be sooner than expected."

"In any case, this area is dangerous now," Jin informs the two. "We'd appreciate it if you help the civilians in the vicinity get to the Durandal."

"All right, we'll do what we can," Allen says.

"MOMO, take this," Miyuki hands me her weapon. "It's an old invention of mine, it's similar to KOS-MOS's sword in the fact that the base of its power is based on one's own Ether power."

"Thanks," I take the bow.

"Let's get going!" Jr. orders.

* * *

(Canaan's POV) 

Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here, I wonder why I must do such redundant tasks. Throughout my existence I have always done what my superiors have asked me, whether it was escorting a high-ranked officer of the government to providing firing support for soldiers on the battlefield. My superiors say that there is a great purpose for me taking these operations, a purpose that is vital to the entire human race. My true mission they said was to find the ones with the "potential," the ones who had "shining wills" so to speak, the ones that...

"How many more are there?" my old partner asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"I estimate approximately two-hundred and counting," I answer as I look through the scope of my rifle.

"He seems to be taking care of most of them," Nigredo points out.

I look through the rifle scope once again to find a large beam of energy beginning to rain down on the legion of Gnosis. A large blast follows seconds after, each of the beings succumbing to the fire that is created. Many, however, still remain. I turn to the source of the attack to find an unknown A.M.W.S. hovering above them. Several A.G.W.S. from the Kukai Foundation begin to fly towards at it with their weapons attacking. The bullets from their craft don't seem to affect the enemy. Several capsules escape the wings of the unknown machine at this point, these capsules surrounding the A.G.W.S. and then unleashing lasers upon the party. In a single blast, the A.G.W.S. are destroyed and the unknown craft begins attacking the Gnosis again.

"He also seems to be attacking our men as well," I report. "Is this the embodiment of the saying 'all is fair in love and war?' If it is, I'm not laughing."

"Actually, I've never seen you laugh once, Canaan," chaos tries to joke.

"Gaignun, it's too dangerous for someone of your stature to be here," Ziggurat 8 informs the Kukai Foundation's Director. "I advise that you evacuate the facility immediately."

"I appreciate your concern, Ziggurat 8, but I'm afraid I have a score to settle with the one inside that craft," Gaignun tells him. "If I hadn't given in to my fear back then, there may have been a chance that..."

"Nigredo...," chaos calls him by his old name.

"I seem to be getting a transmission," I switch on my radio.

"Hello, is anyone there? Respond?" Rubedo's voice echoes on the other line.

"Jr., where have you been?" Nigredo swipes the radio out of my hands. "I've been trying to contact you through telepathy for the last half hour. I wanted you to..."

"Now this is a sight to see, Nigredo ordering around our 'beloved leader,'" another voice echoes over the line.

"Citrine...?"

"Gaignun, forgot about that for now, what's your status over there?" Rubedo interrupts. "Gaignun?"

"Oh, uh, the civilians are safe," he answers after a moment of hesitation, "we've gathered them in a single area in Sector 27, but Albedo and several hundred Gnosis have blocked off our escape. We're running low on reinforcements on the south side of the sector; we've been trying to replace them, but doing so would lower our A.G.W.S. defenses outside the Foundation."

"Leave the outside to my men," Citrine orders on the other line. "The transport we're currently using is five miles from your current position, we'll arrive from the south of your current locale."

"No, don't come over here!" he suddenly orders in a frantic manner. "Jr., no matter what you do, don't bring Citrine here! You have to...!"

"We've got trouble," I interrupt.

The unknown craft begins to fly toward us now, but it does so at a slow pace. I load a new clip into my rifle now, loading it with Armor-Piercing Anti-A.M.W.S. rounds. I aim the scope at what looks like the core of the craft and fire a single shot. The bullet meets its mark, but ricochets off the machine. I aim my rifle elsewhere on the machine's body now, aiming for the small crack that links the arm and body. I aim directly for one of the cables inside it, but the bullet ricochets once more. I place the scope's sight over the central device on the head now, but the result is the same as the last. The craft has almost approached us now, but unfortunately none of my bullets are working.

"What's this about Citrine?" the pilot's voice echoes from within the craft. "The nerve of that wench showing up here!"

"Get out of here, Albedo!" he orders.

"You want me to leave so soon, you're not a very good host, are you?" he taunts. "After all I've done to get rid of these annoying insects. Why look, here come some more."

I turn my attention back to the Gnosis legions outside the city and see them traveling faster at an alarming rate. With the last wave of A.G.W.S. on this line wiped out by the unknown A.M.W.S. craft, the only thing that can really hold them back now is my rifle. I extract the current clip in my gun now and replace it with Anti-Gnosis rounds, opening fire upon loading. I don't bother to concentrate on aiming, I know that my bullets will hit at least one Gnosis, there isn't any time to aim properly. After only seven shots though, the energy rain from the enemy craft falls once again, this time engulfing all of the Gnosis in the vicinity. I look up now, away from the scope of my weapon to find the enemy A.M.W.S. now hovering above us, its pilot lowering himself down before us.

"Freeze!" the Foundation soldiers immediately point their guns at the white-haired individual.

"Now now, cool your jets," the man says in a mocking tone, "you're taking this way too seriously."

"Look you...!" one of the soldiers spits.

"That's enough," Nigredo orders his men, trying to regain his cool. "Albedo, what do you want?"

"I come here on business today, little baby," Albedo taunts. "The last time I came was for pleasure, but I'm afraid I have a job to do here today."

"And what kind of job is that?" Nigredo demands.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Don't give me that, talk!"

"And what will you do if I don't?" Albedo continues to tease.

One of the soldiers opens fire at this point, shooting at his arm. The limb falls to the floor after, but the man simply flinches after being shot. The arm on the ground begins to disintegrate shortly after, the arm regrowing on the stub at the same time. His other hand takes hold of his wrist at this time, popping the bones in his shoulder by pulling at it. The same soldier begins to shake now, unloading several more shots, these ones meeting with his head, shoulder, and leg. Holes are left where the bullets impacted, along with small rivers of blood. The holes quickly patch up in the same manner as his arm, a smirk falling upon his face as the wounds heal.

"Ooohoohoo, that tingles, hehehe hehehe heh," Albedo chuckles.

"That's enough, you'll only provoke him further," Nigredo orders his men.

"Albedo!" I turn around to find Rubedo, MOMO, Jin, and an unknown woman.

"Well well, if it isn't little Rubedo," Albedo chuckles once again. "And the self-centered wench, Citrine."

"Jr., I told you not...!" Nigredo begins to yell at the red-haired Variant.

"Is that you're idea of a comeback, weakling?" the woman scoffs, interrupting Nigredo. "You're as pathetic as ever."

"Not as pathetic as you, fourteen years ago," Albedo retorts. "Tell me, how bad is the hospital food, seeing how you've probably eaten it everyday until now."

"Your comebacks are still terrible," Citrine sighs, "I thought you would come up with at least one good comeback after all these years."

"Why you insolent...!"

Another bullet strikes Albedo, this one causing his entire head to explode. I turn back to Citrine who holds her a pistol in front of her, the barrel hissing with smoke. I turn back to Albedo to find his head once again regenerating. The smile he wore when he was shot earlier is not on his face this time, his expression now filled with anger.

"You have no right to speak with me," she says in a harsh tone. "One who has allowed themself to fall from the grace of our original cause is not worth my time. As a surviving member of the U.R.T.V. Forces, I shall destroy you."

"How noble of you," the white-haired man cracks his neck, "you always stuck to the mission back then, you never allowed personal matters to get in their way. Now that I have made contact with U-DO, your mission has become personal. Too bad you can't accomplish that mission, I can't die after all."

"I have to hand it to you, not many can survive a blast from a gun like this," Citrine continues. ".50 caliber Desert Eagle Action Express, I small step up from the .45's we got back then. Eight shots per clip, I wonder how many you can take before your head stop growing back again?"

She begins to fire once again, but Albedo leaps into the air to avoid the first two shots. I take my rifle now and set it to AUTO, unleashing a burst of rounds into the air. Others begin to unload their weapons on the man as well, but his body regenerates with every shot that is fired. He stretches his arms after, his palms beginning to glow a light purple. Small beams begin to escape his hands at this point, each of them striking the ground before us and filling our vision with smoke. I switch my vision to infrared mode, finding our enemy landing in the smoke. His claw-like hands embed themselves into a soldier, tearing out a string-like structure as he extracts it from his body. Another soldier tries to fire upon him again, but his efforts are useless as Albedo returns the favor with another blast from his hand. The smoke clears for the most part now, the only ones that remain are myself, Nigredo, Rubedo, chaos, Jin, MOMO, Citrine, and Ziggurat 8.

"You're quite pathetic, relying on your dogs to take care of me," Albedo boasts.

Jin tries to rush in at this point, his blade taking a swing at Albedo's torso. Though the blade meets with its intended target, our enemy simply laughs it off, his hand wrapping around Jin's neck afterward. Ziggurat 8 rushes in after, I try to give fire support by switching my gun back to MANUAL so that I may get more accurate shots. Two shots meet with Albedo's arm, freeing Jin from his grasp immediately. Ziggurat 8 has come within striking distance now, his mechanical fist meeting with our opponent's abdomen. The punch stuns the man for a moment, allowing Jin to slice his weapon downward, splitting him clean in half.

The two halves quickly pull back together however, his maniacal laugh escaping his lips after his body reforms. The back of his right hand strikes Jin now, sending him backward and into the ground, his left hand catching Ziggurat 8's next punch. Nigredo picks up a fallen soldier's rifle at this point and begins to open fire. Albedo simply lets the bullets hit, laughing as each projectile meets with his body. Getting tired of taking the bullets, he tosses Ziggurat 8 at Nigredo, sending them both to the ground. The enemy begins to approach me now, taking his time as he simply walks. Rubedo, Citrine, and I try to unload all of our ammo into him, but it only causes him to stagger a little. In a matter of seconds, I find my rifle only clicking when I pull the trigger. Before I can back away to escape, his fist meets with my chin, his foot then striking at my chest. The kick catches me off guard, pushing me in the direction of the still standing U.R.T.V. units, sending all of us to the floor.

I try to push myself back up, but I find my legs unable to move after that last attack. Our nemesis begins to approach MOMO now, chaos quickly pushing her behind him.

"Beautiful, isn't it, ma peche," the man asks as he holds his hand toward her. "This pain, so sweet, so alive. This emotion, I love it; the look of fear, the feeling of agony, pain can bring about the most expressions to the human soul. Do you know this feeling, this feeling of helplessness, of fear, of agony, you recall it don't you? Ah, the sweet expression when you were in my embrace, surely you cannot have forgotten it already, have you?"

The young realian tries to cover her ears as the man speaks, her body slowly inching away as she turns her face away from his. chaos tries to stay close to her, moving as she moves, trying to silence Albedo's voice with his own.

"Don't listen to him, MOMO, close your ears," he orders. "Ignore what he says, don't..."

"Ignore, how can she?" Albedo continues. "Her ears need not remind her of what she felt that day. Look at how her body trembles in my presence, how her eyes burn with tears and hatred, she needs not my words when she remembers everything with a simple spark to remind her."

"Get away from her you monster!" Rubedo screams.

The red-haired U.R.T.V. returns to his feet in an instant now, his body fully charging forward with his shoulder leading the way. His attempt to attack fails unfortunately, our enemy simply turning his body to the side to evade the attack. Before he can recover however, the claw-like hands embed themselves into Rubedo's abdomen. The young realian watches in horror as the villain lifts Rubedo into the air with his embedded hand, but chaos takes little time to react upon seeing this action.

"Unleash a fragment of thy power!" he chants.

His hands glow a bright blue at this point, his arms swinging forward in full force. The blue light within his hands escapes after the swing, the light turning into a burst of energy that runs through Albedo's body. The attack removes Albedo's arm from his body, freeing Jr. in the process, but chaos doesn't end his attack there. His fist meets with Albedo's face next, the punch causing him to stagger. Another punch follows, this one meeting with the other cheek. More punches immediately follow, striking him in the abdomen, face, and other parts of the body. chaos continues his attack relentlessly, not giving Albedo a chance to counter at all.

"You're a monster!" chaos screams at him as his assault continues. "Wishing to bring pain onto others all for the sake of your own pleasure, how dare you! You had no right to bring about such sadness onto others with your actions, you had no right to destroy the lives you brought injury too with your own hands! Why do you wish to bring pain onto others so badly? You couldn't have always been like this... Why, Albedo, why do you wish to force your own pain unto those who aren't involved!" he asks, bringing his fist upward, striking his jaw.

Albedo falls backward after the uppercut, his back quickly meeting with the floor. Everyone begins to recover from their injuries at this point, barely returning to their feet. Albedo begins to rub the last spot that chaos struck, spitting out a trickle of blood after doing so.

"I felt that punch; you're no ordinary boy, are you?" Albedo asks. "Who are you?" he staggers back to his feet.

chaos rushes in afterwards, Albedo trying to strike first by going for a lunge with his sharpened nails. The stab misses, allowing chaos to begin another assault on Albedo. He begins with a knee attack to his chest, followed by a backhand to the face. An uppercut to the stomach follows after the backhand strike, the punch bringing Albedo into the air, his body supported by chaos's arm. A splash of crimson escape Albedo's mouth after this strike, the blood splattering onto his attacker's hair. His eyes begin to shut now, his arms and legs growing limp. chaos begins to lower his arm now, slowly lowering Albedo to the floor.

"Who I am is not what I am," he answers Albedo's question now. "I am a wayward soul, one who simply wishes to escape the shackles that bind me. I am one who has not been given a choice in the way I live, I simply exist for the task I was born to fulfill, much like you and your siblings. Unlike you however, the ability choose is impossible for me, and for that I envy you. May your heart and soul find peace, even if that peace is but a short one..."

"chaos...," Jin stands still, observing his friend.

"Is everyone okay?" chaos turns his attention toward everyone else now.

"I guess so," Rubedo answers, still staggering from his wound.

"Jr.!" the young realian runs toward him, her arms quickly wrapping around him. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he tries to assure her.

"I guess we're all okay then," Ziggurat 8 approaches them.

"Can you stand?" Nigredo approaches me.

"I hate to say it, but can you give me a hand?" I ask.

Nigredo pulls me up to my feet, wrapping my arm around his shoulder so that my feet can touch the floor. I turn to where Albedo lies at this point, Citrine standing over him with her pistol pointed at him.

"The threat may be over now, but what do we do about him?" Citrine asks the others. "As badly as I want to finish him, I know a bullet to the head won't stop him, despite what I said earlier."

"I don't know, but we have to dispose of him as quickly as possible!" Nigredo answers, his face soaked in perspiration. "In the meantime, we'll have to keep him under strict captivity. Ziggurat 8, take Albedo to the Prison Block on the Durandal. chaos, I'd like you to accompany him in case he regains consciousness."

"All right," chaos nods. "Come on, Ziggy, this way."

The two begin to leave the area at this time, my eyes never leaving them for a second. That hidden strength within chaos, in all the years I've known him, I've never seen him use such a thing. His readings were off the chart, but he didn't seem to have the "potential." The analysis of Ziggurat 8 I did nearly a century ago revealed that he did have the "will." Albedo and Citrine have already used the potential of their "wills," everything is going to plan so far, but the search for the final one continues. Nigredo is not a possible candidate, nor is anyone else here. Though I must wonder what is wrong with Nigredo, suddenly starting to panic when the other three Variants were coming toward him. No matter, I have a mission to accomplish. I was told that the one who possesses the final "potential" was amongst this group, but I have yet to encounter...

"Hey, are you guys all right?" a stranger's voice catches my ear.

"Allen, I thought you were helping the civilians at the station escape to the Durandal," MOMO says to the man.

"Miyuki said I was only getting in the way, she said I should probably head over here when it looked safe to help you guys with the civilians over here," he explains. "Come to think of it, I think she just said that to get rid of me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Allen," the young realian tries to assure him, "I'm sure she didn't mean it like that."

This man, Allen, he seems like an incompetent individual. Clumsy, stupid, and a burden, and yet there is something else about him. This feeling, this sensation, it's similar to the ones I had in the past, similar to the readings of Citrine and Albedo fourteen years ago. Allen Ridgeley, could it be that he is the one I'm searching for? If it is indeed true, then my mission shall come to an end shortly. Very, very shortly...

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

"I'm glad you remembered my name, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1," my opponent smirks.

"Don't call me that!" I seethe.

"This truly is amusing," she begins to chuckle, "a machine trying to act as if she were angry. What am I saying, 'she,' machines don't even have a gender. Sure they may take the form of human beings, but..."

"Shut up!" I scream at her. "Who are you to judge me when you know nothing about me, what gives you the right to do so?"

"And what doesn't give me the right?" she retorts. "Realians have their rights, humans have their rights, but where does it say anywhere in the Miltian Charter or any other government document that machines have rights? Machines are nothing more than tools that are meant to be used by their creators, and tools exist simply to be used for a certain purpose. Hammers drive things into surfaces, guns are meant to kill, a television is meant to entertain, and what is your purpose, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1? What is your reason to exist?"

Her last statement makes me pause, my mind beginning to contemplate on what she just said. I was originally created as a weapon, but I no longer wish to go through with that role any longer. Why else do I exist? Was there something I was born to do in this universe? Am I just supposed to be the pawn I was originally created to be?

"...I don't know yet, but I do know this, my purpose is not to fulfill your organization's needs, nor is it in any way to support the Zohar Project!"

"Damn machine, know your place!"

She draws her energy blade at the moment, her swing barely missing my arm. I draw my blade the moment she tries to follow with a second slash, the strike coming to a halt as our weapons lock. I swing my blade's sheath at this time, but my attack misses leaving my left arm open. Before I can recover, she draws her dagger, the blade skidding across the surface of my arm. The cut causes me to wince, causing me to lower my blade for a second, giving her enough time to ready for another swing. I try to dodge the next slash, jumping back as far as I can, but her energy blade still manages to meet with my right shoulder. The cut almost causes me to drop my blade, but I manage to recover from this wound faster than the last.

"I could care less about what His Holiness's orders are," she spits, "I'm going to rip you to shreds. I'm going to smash your face, gouge your eyes, peel of your nails, rip off each of your fingers and limbs, I'll make sure you'll never fulfill your purpose, no matter what it may be!"

Her words make my blood boil even further, the grip around my weapon tightening as her threats replay in my head. I find my body charging forward once again, this time with both of my hands grasping the hilt of my sword. The edge begins to grind against the ground as I run, sparks igniting as it slides against the concrete surface. She simply stands there with both of her blades at her side, not moving a single inch. Finally I swing upward, but it is at this moment I realize I've fallen for a trap. She blocks my sword with her dagger, her energy blade then slicing downward. Again I try to jump out of it's path, but the weapon still manages to slice off a majority of the right side of my skirt and barely cut my leg. I reach for my gun on the garter on my left leg after, only to find nothing there. I then remember that I dropped it back in the walkway so that I could draw my sword, and then I destroyed the walkway with an Ether attack after, destroying my firearm with it.

By the time I turn my attention toward Orgulla once more, I find her already within arm's reach of me. Both of her weapons swing upward this time in an "X" formation, the blades barely missing as I jump away again. I try to retaliate soon after, jumping forward once more with a lunging attack. She manages to evade my strike with a simple step to the left and tries to counter with an overhead strike with both weapons. Before either of the weapons can come down, I release my left hand's hold on my sword and jam my elbow into her ribs. The elbow strike manages to stun her, allowing me to follow with a swing of my blade. The edge swings upward from the right, the swing ending at her shoulder. After remembering what happened the last time we fought, I continue with another slash, this one being a swing downward from the right shoulder to her left side. A third swing follows, this one a slice parallel to the ground, and my find attack being a rising slash upward. Geysers of crimson erupt from the newly-created wounds, a splash of the same substance escapes her lips as she falls to the ground.

I wait several moments with my sword ready, waiting for her to return to her feet. After several seconds of waiting, she begins to push herself off the ground. Her entire body trembles as she tries to pick herself back up, her mouth hacking up more blood as she does so. She finally manages to push herself back to her feet, but her entire body looks like it's ready to collapse at any moment. I take this opportunity to strike once again, but just like the last time, she drops all of her weapons the moment my swing misses. She tries to grab my arm again, but I release my left hand again from my weapon and curl it into a fist, my knuckles quickly meeting with the bridge of her nose. The punch leaves her stunned once more, allowing me to strike her with my blade once again.

She goes down once again after this strike, her right hand quickly taking her dagger off the floor the moment she falls. My opponent tries to hurl the blade at my foot, but I manage to step away from it with ease. More blood begins to escape her mouth again, but again she returns to her feet. She takes her sword off the ground once more and I prepare for her next attack.

"Ah!" she suddenly cries in pain, crackles of electricity beginning to escape her body. "Stay out of it, Manes!" she screams as she pushes her palms against her skull.

The electricity comes to a stop soon after, her body no longer staggering. The color in her eyes has changed just as it did last time, changed to an ice blue. The blade in her hand no longer glows a bright green, but glowing the same color as her eyes. The blade has grown in length and width, the weapon's blade as tall as her. Her form suddenly disappears from sight, but in the blink of an eye, I find it right in front of me with her giant blade swinging over her head. I quickly raise my sword at this point in an attempt to block. I do manage to catch the attack, but the strength of her swing is still strong enough to push me back and lower my weapon to the ground. She moves again soon after this, this time her palm strikes me.

The force behind the blow pushes all of the air out of lungs and pushes me against the air. After several seconds, I find my entire back pressed against the surface of one of the steel boxes, a large jolt of pain crawling up my entire spine. I find her disappearing before my sight again, reappearing a second later in front of me once more. I barely manage to dodge this attack and try to counter, but her palm once again strikes me, this time near my abdomen. Again I get pushed back, meeting with the surface of the wall that leads toward the exit. I fall to the ground after, my arms barely stopping my fall before my nose meets with the floor. I find her approaching me once more, but this time she walks toward me with her weapon pointed to the side.

I try to force myself back up, my legs barely able to sustain the weight of the rest of my body as I return to my feet. I ready my sword once more, bringing it to my side. Just holding my blade feels as if I'm lifting several tons, I can barely keep it steady. My entire body is trembling, I'm barely able to sustain myself from falling back toward the floor. I don't know how much longer I can last, this new strength of hers must have a weakness, but what? The weight of her blade should prevent her from following up with a second slash soon after swinging it, but I don't have the strength to block it. Countering soon after is impossible too, she'll simply attack with a palm strike. There has to be a way I can use her palm strike against her.

Before I can think of anything, I find her already swinging her blade once again. I step away from the strike like last time, my arms instantly reacting my going for another swing of my sword. Her palm begins to push forward again at this moment, but she fails to realize that I didn't go for the full swing of my weapon. I quickly bring my blade in front of me now, the edge of the weapon facing her palm. Her hand engraves itself into the edge of my sword, her voice screaming in agony as it sticks there. I extract the blade soon after, slicing upward toward her shoulder. She staggers after the swing, falling forward after my weapon slashes her side. She tries to counter afterwards with a lunge of her giant weapon, but I easily manage to dodge the attack. I swing downward on her wrist afterward, striking the flat side of the blade with all my strength, sending her weapon to the ground. I follow with another slash now, barely missing her collar bone. More swings follow, each one causing her to stagger further and erupting a new blast of scarlet each time. Finally after ten more attacks, she falls to the ground, a large lake of ruby forming around her.

I find my entire body drenched in my own sweat and my lungs heavy. I wait for her to return to her feet again, waiting several moments. Her arm begins to lift up again and I ready my sword once again. Her legs do not move though, nor does her other arm. The only other thing that moves is her mouth and her voice flowing along with it.

"Da...damn you... Sellers..."

Her arm falls back to the floor afterward, her entire body becoming still. The heaving of her chest seems to stop at this time, as do any other signs of movement. I turn back toward the exit, finding the sheath for my sword on the ground. I place the weapon back in its restraint and make my way through the door.

Amazingly, the entire hangar has no guards patrolling it whatsoever. At the end of the hangar I find my craft standing there. I run to the end of the hall and toward the machine, punching in its start code from the control panel it's connected to. The cockpit opens at this point and a rope with a foot rest lowers toward me. I place my foot on the rest and tug, causing it to pull me toward the cockpit.

Wasting little time, I activate the controls for my craft. The moment I turn on the controls however, the machine begins to start up. I try to set them to manual, but it refuses my input. I try to operate the control sticks as well, but moving them does nothing. I then look at the destination screen on the right hand side of the cockpit chair and it reads a location. It reads, "Labyrinthos, Miltia."

"Labyrinthos, why?" I pound my fist against the controls. "Unless... No, they didn't plan on me escaping, did they?"

The engine begins to run now and the hangar doors begin to open. I frantically try to change the course once again, but the controls still refuse to accept my input. E.S. Dinah begins to move now, walking toward the air lock. I try to move the control stick away from there again, but like the previous attempts, nothing happens. Before I can try anything else, however, one of the controls begins to flash a bright red. I activate the switch and Miang's portrait appears on the main screen.

"Hello again, Elly," my sister greets me.

"Miang, what's going on here!" I frantically ask her. "The controls for the Dinah, they're not...!"

"I know, Elly," she tells me, "I did that."

"What, why!"

"I'm sorry, Elly, but I'm simply following my orders," she apologizes. "No, not just orders, this is part of your role too, this is, just as my master said, your destiny."

"What about you telling me to protect Shion," I ask, "I can't protect her if...!"

"Mother is heading in your direction right now," she interrupts, "I know this because she is with one of our operatives right now."

"Operatives?" I ask. "Wait, you can't mean...!"

"The 'Pale Horse' has been assigned to the task," she answers. "Don't worry, you'll be reunited with Mother and your friends soon."

"That's not the point!" I yell at her. "We both know what she's capable of, what she can do to the others of her kind."

"I'm sorry, Elly, but..."

"Don't give me that 'I'm just following orders' talk again! You've just sent all of them to their graves by sending her!"

"I'm sorry, Elly," she apologizes again. "The 'White Horse' is there as well. It's best that you hurry so that you may save them."

"Miang, wait!"

"Good luck, Elly," my sister's transmission ends.

The door to the hangar opens now and my craft begins moving once more. The next thing I know, I'm flying forward, but for some reason, I'm not flying in hyper space. I try to activate the controls once more, trying to get at least the communications up and running so that I may call back Miang.

"Great!" I strike the control panel once again.

I can't believe it, they already sent the "Pale Horse," and they even sent the "White Horse" as well. This can't be good, this is definitely not what I expected so soon. If only I hadn't left Shion and the others, I would've been there too... No, it's too late for regrets, I have to focus on saving them now. Shion, everyone, please, be safe...

* * *

(Jr.'s POV) 

"Don't the stars look nice out tonight, Rubedo?"

"I guess," I answered. "Stars are just balls of gas that are being burned in the atmosphere or something like that, Sakura."

"There's more to life than just facts, Rubedo," Sakura said. "I mean, life wouldn't be exciting if everything was simply all about them. Imagination is what can make things interesting; without it, there is no such thing as curiosity, no such thing as invention."

"I think I see what you mean."

"Hey Rubedo, where's your mother?" she suddenly asked. "Your dad's Dr. Yuriev, right, but where's your mom?"

"...I don't know much about my mom really," I admitted. "All that I really know is that she had a good set of chromosomes and healthy eggs. I never really asked anything about her now that I think about it."

"Don't you ever wish you could ever meet her?"

"And what, meet her and say, 'congratulations, you're the mother of a bunch of anti-U-DO weapons?'" I said sarcastically. "No, I don't think there would be a point in meeting her; Albedo though, he wishes to meet her someday, he wants to know all about her and possibly get to know her. It's really pointless if you ask me, getting close to someone when they're only going to die at some point."

"Don't say that, Rubedo," Sakura said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "It's not pointless to get close to someone. Life is short, you can't go on in life all by yourself. You need others to get by, so they can support you, so that you can support them. People aren't perfect, they can't do anything by themselves no matter how capable they are."

"Sakura..."

"Daydreaming I see," a voice interrupts in the present, "are you sure you're the same Rubedo from fourteen years ago?"

"I wonder that too sometimes," I answer, turning to the female U.R.T.V. who stands in the entrance of the park. "There are times I think that U.R.T.V. #666 died fourteen years ago along with Sakura Mizrahi. I keep telling myself that I'm Gaignun Kukai, Jr. now, but the ones who remember my past self won't acknowledge that."

"Heh, it's just amusing to see you getting so philosophical," Citrine scoffs, taking a seat beside me.

"Unlike you, Citrine, we've matured over the years," I turn around to find Gaignun entering the park as well. "Can't you learn to get over the past as we did?"

"No, I can't," she answers. "Our purpose for existing was to eradicate U-DO, there's no way I can ever let that go. Yuriev told us back then that we should do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal, no matter what the cost, even if that cost is our own lives. However, when we were finally given the chance to do so, you severed the link between us, Rubedo!" she seethes. "You denied me my right to existence, you stole my purpose in life, but that shouldn't matter, soon I will have another chance to accomplish my goal."

"Whatever," I shrug.

"In any case, the remaining Gnosis have been exterminated," Gaignun informs us, "I guess it's thanks to your men, Citrine. In any case, Jr., let's prepare a landing party for the trip to Labyrinthos, we'll be arriving on Old Miltia in half an hour."

"All right," I nod.

"I'll go too," Citrine suddenly volunteers.

"What for?" I ask.

"I told you I had another chance to accomplish my goal soon, didn't I?" she reminds me.

"No arguments there, let's go," Gaignun orders.

Just like that huh? Something's definitely not right about this whole situation. Citrine and her men just tried to raid this place before the Gnosis attack, so why the sudden change in heart. And what's with Gaignun just letting her come along with us in the landing party, he knows about what her men tried to do too, not to mention he seems to have forgotten to evacuate the civilians off the Foundation. Just what is she up to, and what's wrong with Gaignun?

.-.

I begin to board the Elsa now, all of our preparations are complete. I board the bridge to find the entire landing party there. The party consists of chaos, the cyborg, MOMO, Canaan, Jin, Citrine, and myself. The controls of the ship will be done by the Elsa's crew along with Allen (despite how useless he may be).

"Everything's ready then," I inform everyone. "All right, let's take off!" I order Captain Matthews.

"Not so fast," Citrine stops Tony from activating the ship's controls. "I'm the one giving the orders here."

"Huh, what do you mean?" her last sentence angering me. "I'm in charge here, just what makes you think...!"

"Oh, but she is in charge, Rubedo," a familiar voice echoes from the speakers of the ship.

"Huh, who the heck is that?" Captain Matthews asks. "Hammer, where's that voice coming from?"

"That's strange," Hammer says as he types on the control panel, "it's coming from Master Gaignun's office."

"It's been a long time, Rubedo," the main screen finally reveals the face of the voice.

"Gaignun?" the face puzzles me.

It is Gaignun on the screen, but something is different. The voice, the tone and the pitch, it's not as deep as Gaignun's, it's more raspy. The expression on his face too, it looks very bitter, and his hair, it's not his usual black color, it's blond, a whitish blond, almost like... No, that's not possible! He died fourteen years ago, I saw it happen, I was there when Gaignun shot him, so why is here now!

"It can't be... Yuriev!" I exclaim.

"Yuriev?" the name confuses MOMO. "Who's that?"

"Dr. Dimitri Yuriev," chaos explains, "the scientist responsible for the creation of the U.R.T.V. forces twenty-six years ago. He also did research on U-DO prior to that. He donated his own genes for the creation of the U.R.T.V.'s, in other words, he's also..."

"...the father of the U.R.T.V. forces," I finish.

"I'm not going to die, not now, not ever," Yuriev continues. "For now I have to thank Nigredo for lending me his body, I knew something like fourteen years ago would happen so I created a fail safe in case I was betrayed, that fail safe being that my mind would be carried over to a Variant of my choice."

"That doesn't sound possible," Jin tries to contemplate, "the U.R.T.V.'s may be clones of you, but there isn't any feasible explanation as to how your mind still exists without some sort of surgery."

"A feasible explanation does in fact exist though," Yuriev explains. "When I created the U.R.T.V. Variants, I had implanted each of them and myself with nanomachines that constantly did a transaction of my memories; in other words, the nanomachines copied my thoughts and memories and stored them. When the nanomachines in my own mind ceased to function with my death, this triggered a switch in the nanomachines in the Variants, that switch allowing my mind to become active once the four Variants were together. Rubedo and Nigredo were the only Variants who were available at the time of my death, so my resurrection could not occur right away. I had the choice of taking control of either four of you when you all came in contact with one another again, but I took Nigredo because of his position as Director of the Kukai Foundation."

"Why you...!"

A burning sensation suddenly comes over me at this moment, the jolt sending me to the floor. I feel as if my blood has turned into acid, the air solidifying into boulders in my lungs, and my eyes housing an inferno. I turn to Citrine who points her palm at me, her hand glowing a pale yellow color. The others immediately try to draw their weapons, but they are stopped by Yuriev's voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he says. "The entire Kukai Foundation is under my jurisdiction at the moment, and my men are also stationed here. This entire facility is at my mercy, if you try anything, I wouldn't hesitate to kill them all."

"You bastard!" my curses barely escape my lungs.

"What are you doing to him, stop it!" MOMO orders as she rushes to my aid.

"Each U.R.T.V. Variant is given a special power," Citrine explains. "Rubedo has the ability to control his cell growth, Albedo the power of regeneration, and Nigredo is able to hypnotize others with his voice. Do you know what mine was? The ability to control the bodily functions of any of the U.R.T.V.'s. Right now I'm increasing the temperature of the red blood cells in Rubedo's body, imagine what will happen if I continue this for five more minutes."

"You damn bitch!" I curse again.

"I've also brought someone else along in case you can't see things my way," she snaps her fingers.

The door to the bridge opens now, several of Yuriev's men walk in as they carry a person with a bag over their head and their arms tied behind their back. They push the person to the floor, removing the concealment from their head after. The individual takes in a deep breath after being freed, her face then pressed against the floor and a rifle pointed at her head.

"Chief!" Allen exclaims.

"Shion!" Jin screams.

"Allen! Jin!" Shion cries.

"You bastards!" the Vector employee begins to charge forward.

"No, Allen, don't!" Jin warns him.

He charges in blindly, making a fist and trying to launch it toward one of the soldiers. Unfortunately, the man easily evades his attack by stepping to the side, the butt of his rifle meeting with Allen's stomach after. That one blow is strong enough to send Allen kneeling to the ground, the guard bringing the back of his gun to his spine again to send him face first to the floor. He begins to push his foot into his back after, the others beginning to turn their attention to him now, only to stop the moment the other guard points his weapon at them.

"As you can see, you have to do what we say from now on," Yuriev smirks.

"...all right, what do you want us to do?" I ask.

The pain in my insides comes to a halt now, but no one tries to retaliate this time.

"The Original Zohar," Yuriev explains. "I want it. Not just the Zohar, but the records of Mizrahi's research, the Y-Data. Albedo has a copy of what that 100-Series Prototype has, but the records contained within that military realian you have has the next part of the research."

"The next part?" the cyborg asks. "You mean that the Y-Data is divided into different sections?"

"Precisely," Yuriev answers. "A majority of it is with you right now. In any case, I have a Foundation to run, I'd greatly appreciate it if you get this done as soon as possible. Citrine, I leave them in your care and command."

"Yes sir," she salutes.

"Damn it..."

So this is what Citrine was really up to, she must have known about Yuriev's fail safe device. I knew I couldn't trust her, and the position we're in now... Damn, there's no choice but to go along with what she and Yuriev wants.

"Set course for Old Miltia," Citrine orders Captain Matthews. "Bring us as close as possible to the coordinates I have laid out in this flight plan," she hands an electronic device to Hammer. "As for the rest of you, enjoy your flight," she says in a mocking tone.

* * *

(Orgulla's POV) 

Everything is dark, I feel myself sinking deeper into the abyss. I want to swim away, I don't want to be passed along the current. I try to move my body, but it doesn't react to any of my commands. My eyes are shut, but even when I open them, I still see nothing but black. Wait, something's beginning to appear before me, but I cannot tell. The darkness begins to mold into different shapes and forms, the color of white replacing a majority of the black before me.

"Lady Orgulla, are you all right?" a voice begins to echo. "Lady Orgulla?"

I find the scenery immediately being replaced, my vision staring into a white ceiling. I begin to lift my upper body forward so that I may sit up, but my arm suddenly jerks and a small sensation of pain fills up my lower arm. I turn to my arm to find several tubes attached to it, as well as some sort of machine hooking the tubes.

"Thank goodness you've regained consciousness, Lady Orgulla," I turn to the side to find an inquisitor at my bedside. "The men were getting worried when the KOS-MOS Unit..."

Before he can say another word, I find my other arm springing forward and my fingers wrapping around his throat. I find my face scrunching, my nails burying themselves into his trachea. A warm fluid begins to run down my fingers now, the streams growing more rapid and thick as I push my fingers deeper into his throat. His hands try to pry mine away as he takes hold of my wrist, but his touch only intensifies my hold. After several seconds, his body finally grows limp, my hold on him finally being released.

"Don't you ever mention that name again!" I spit as I drop his body to the floor.

"His Holiness would not appreciate that you killed one of his men," another voice echoes in the area.

I turn to the end of the room now to find the KOS-MOS Archetype standing against the door. Just the sight of her face makes my blood boil once more, my body ready to just jump on her and beat her face in with my bare hands. Unfortunately I cannot, my legs are also attached to the machine to the side of my bed.

"What do you want!" I seethe.

"I just came to report that..."

"Your so-called sister escaped, tell me something I don't know!" I spit. "Stupid machines, always stating the fucking obvious!"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your fucking apology, it's not like you even mean it!"

"I also wanted to inform you that Units 00-00-00-00-2 through 00-00-00-13-4 of the KOS-MOS Project have just been uploaded with my personal data," she continues, her voice as calm as ever.

"Well congratulations," I say with sarcasm, "how does it feel to be a mother of a bunch of 'Anti-Gnosis' weapons?"

"You know what, I don't even know why I'm telling you this," she exasperates, "if you're just going to be a little bitch the entire time I give my report, then..."

"What did you just call me!"

"You heard me! I called you a little bitch, and let me add something to that, fuck you!"

"Keep that up and I'll tear you to shreds!" I retort. "I don't care what my orders are, I'll kill you, your sister, and all your fucking children when given the chance."

"The feeling's mutual," she says, slamming the door on her way out.

That damn machine, how dare she speak toward me like that. It's because of her sister, no, it's because of that whole family that... Damn you, Sellers, on that day two years ago, if hadn't listened to that old man, then...

"Then what's holding you back?" a voice asks.

"This is none of your business, Manes!" I yell.

"You blame Sellers for making us what we are now, yet you do not take any action against him, why is that? Is it because he created us? Is it your loyalty to His Holiness? Tell me, what is it?"

"Shut up, how the hell should I know!"

"You're so weak," she taunts, "it was your thoughts of him that got you defeated earlier. Now if I were to deal with him, he would be out of our way, our thoughts totally void of him, allowing us to destroy what truly matters."

"No, we'll destroy that woman and her 'family' first," I tell her, "then we can once again fulfill our true purpose..."

* * *

XenoMark's Note: Well, how was it? It was really hard to write as usual, especially Orgulla since I had to practically invent her character since she didn't get much screen time in Episode 2 (actually I got a bit lazy with her POV unfortunately, I'll do better next time). You're probably wondering why Orgulla is upset with Elly and Miang, I'm afraid the reason won't be given for a while. Speaking of Miang, you're probably surprised how she blew up on Orgulla, but let's put it this way, one can't be patient forever, and she still has a bit of that bitterness she had in "Bound" (though not done in the same sensual way of course). I'm aware that Citrine's weapon of choice, the .50 caliber Desert Eagle isn't made to fire in a rapid succession, but there's a reason for why she can do so, I'll actually explain that and why she survived in the next chapter. Though more questions were raised in this chapter, I assure you I'll answer them eventually in the story. Also in the next chapter, we'll have the first appearance of the Mass-Produced KOS-MOS Units. Well I hope you all look forward to it. Please review, your input is greatly appreciated and we'd like to know what you the readers think, but no flames as usual please. Hopefully we'll see you in the next chapter, and again, please review. 


	8. One of Many

XenoMark's Note: Well what can I really say right now... I guess I should warn you readers ahead of time that updates are gonna be slower than usual since school's starting for us. The other authors on Team KOS-MOS are going to focus on their efforts in school for the time being, so I'm afraid I'll probably be the only author for this fic for a while. I don't mind really, it was originally my idea to write this and a captain must go down with his ship. Don't fret though, it's not like they're totally abandoning me; ChaosDreamer will still work on the fic's artwork and Shi Maxwell will still help me write when she's free. Anyway, putting that aside, for this chapter we're going to start things off differently, we'll start by showing some of Albedo's past to show why he acts the way he does in the present, along with a bit more history on the U.R.T.V.'s, Ziggy's (from "Xenosaga: Pied Piper"), and chaos. Also worth noting, some of the content in this chapter contains the implication of child molestation, but then again, this story's rated "R" for a good reason, you should've already known it would contain adult subject matter after reading "Bound."

* * *

Chapter 8: One of Many

(Albedo's POV)

"You stupid little brat!"

It was another one of those times, a strike to the face, it was the first of many. Immediately I find myself falling to the ground, my nose meeting with the concrete surface. Crimson rivers begin to run down my face through the newly opened crater on the bridge of my nose, the wound disappearing in seconds, only to return soon after as another force met with the back of my skull. His foot began to bury itself further in my head, the toes pushing downward in an attempt to grind my face further into the ground.

"How dare you question my actions!" he continues, his voice as relentless as ever. "You're a weakling, Albedo, a pathetic weakling, one not worthy enough to be one of the Variants, no, the U.R.T.V.'s in general."

"...that's a lie," I rebut the first time in my entire life.

"What...!"

"I said that's a lie!" I say once again. "I question your actions not as a member of the U.R.T.V. Forces, but as another human being. No, I don't question them, I'm repulsed by them! What you were doing to Citrine just wasn't right! I saw how much she was hurting, and you still...!"

"Silence!" his foot pushed forward once again, my face once again smashing into the ground. "You have some nerve to say such a thing to me, Albedo, me, the one responsible for your creation!"

"Yuriev, what are you...?" another voice begins to enter the vicinity.

"This is none of your business, Citrine," he said, his voice returning to its usual cool composure. "I'm just giving the rightful punishment to this weakling."

"Weakling?" she says, the word leaving her confused.

"Yes, weakling," he repeats. "He's such a weakling, talking about morals and other things U.R.T.V.'s shouldn't be concerned about. It's truly pathetic."

"Pathetic..."

"No, Citrine, don't listen to him!" I try to tell her. "What he's doing to you isn't right, regardless of..."

"Enough!" my face once again meets with the concrete. "You've said enough already, Albedo, how much more punishment do you think you can take. You should consider yourself lucky, if you weren't the Variant with regenerative powers, you would be dead now."

"It hurts...," are the only words I can say.

"Look at you, the look of anguish on your face, that sensation, can you feel it?" he taunts. "It's the feeling of pain; your wounds may heal, but your body will always remember the agony, it's vital to one's existence, is it not? Nigredo, Rubedo," he calls in the other two Variants. "Watch him, make sure he doesn't leave this room."

"But sir...," Rubedo tries to speak.

"But nothing!" Yuriev interrupts. "Or do you also wish to receive the same treatment as Albedo?"

"...no sir."

"Come along, Citrine, let's leave this weakling to wallow in his own weakness."

My eyes begin to blur now, the scenery becoming engulfed in black. My eyes are open, yet I see nothing but darkness. My back is lying on something, my temple throbbing. Bah, stupid dream, why must I remember such rubbish from many years back?

Ugh, curse that boy, how was he able to defeat me so easily? Everything I did, it was as if he was just toying me. I couldn't even land a single blow, how was that possible, unless... Oooohooo, is he the one that "he" mentioned? Perhaps I should pay more attention during those meetings, maybe then I'll...

"He's in here, sir," I hear a voice on the other side of the wall.

"Excellent, let me enter."

One of the walls begins to come apart now, my eyes temporarily blinded by the bright light on the other side. Three figures stand on the other side, the ones to the sides dressed gaudily in plain gray clothing and the one in the center is dressed very formally. A black suit and jacket, with a mix of colors on the emblem above his breast pocket, there isn't a single crease or wrinkle on his clothing. His shoes have been shined to a perfect finish, I can see my own self on the soles of his feet in this darkness. A faint light begins to glow within the room, revealing to me the face of the one who has come to visit me.

"Nigredo," I seethe. "What do you want?"

"I've come to have a word with you," he answers.

"Is it peace talks you want?" I mock. "Do you really think your dogs can keep me inside this box for long? You of all people should know what I'm capable of, or must I remind you again by drowning you in a pool of your own blood?"

"Oh I'd like to see you try," his face suddenly smirks.

"Mr. Tough Guy I see, let's see how tough you are when...!"

His fist suddenly knocks me backward, my back once again lying against the surface I woke up on. Another force follows, this time with his foot planting itself into my sternum. My hands take hold of his leg, my nails burying deep into his ankle, but the impaling doesn't even cause him to wince. His foot buries deeper and deeper into my body, the heel of his shoe beginning to break my skin. This is definitely getting more interesting, I had no idea that Nigredo...

"As weak as ever, Albedo," Nigredo says, his voice becoming more raspy.

"What!"

"Even after linking with U-DO, you're still as pathetic as ever."

"Yuriev!" I notice his black hair now turning into a golden blond. "Things really have gotten more..."

"I never liked the sound of your voice!" he stomps his foot once again. "You've gotten even more annoying ever since I last saw you."

"You son of a...!" I try to bury my fingers deeper. "What the...?" I find my body releasing him instead.

"Did I ever mention the fail-safe device to you when you were still a child?" he asks. "I explained it to Rubedo just a few minutes ago. There are nanomachines inside each of you Variants; when you four met again recently, the nanomachines activated, allowing me to take control of any of you whenever I want. At the moment I'm using Nigredo's body as my own, but I can still manipulate some of your nerves and muscles while still in his."

I feel myself beginning to burn, as if the air in my lungs were eating away at them like acid. The feeling only intensifies, the inside of my skin feeling the sensation as well. My insides, they feel as if they're about to burst. This searing sensation, this heat, the agony, it burns, burns like nothing I have ever felt before. So sweet, so alive, give more, more, more!

To my own dismay, he releases his grasp from me now, allowing me to fall to the concrete below the bench I lay on. His foot begins to step on my head just as it did many years ago, puddles of crimson running down my face as he buries it further into my skull.

"You remember this feeling?" he taunts. "Do you remember that expression on your face back then, it was something like this. But don't worry, you're the only one who can regenerate, you may be able to live forever, but I can make sure that you can feel this sensation for the rest of eternity. I'll never die, not now, not ever, as long as one of you Variants exist."

He begins to leave now, the doors opening once more but the sensation inside me still burning. He turns back to me once again, that same simper still on his face.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" he asks. "The most 'moral' of the U.R.T.V.'s has become the bane of their existence by linking with U-DO. I always knew you were trouble, back then and now."

He leaves after that, the doors closing afterward and the darkness consuming my vision once more. The acidic feel inside me begins to disappear now, my arms beginning to push me off the floor. My, my, he certainly does have a lot of tricks up his sleeve, even after all these years.

"Scary, scary...," I find a smile now on my face. "I had no idea you had such things implanted inside me and the others. At least I didn't back then. Did you like my act, Yuriev, or should I say, Dear Old Dad? As I told Nigredo, I have a job to do here, and now is not the time to do it. I'll play along with your game just a bit longer until the time is right. Eh hehehehehe, aha hahahahaha, AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

* * *

(Shion's POV)

"Let's get going. You, the Vector employee, come with us."

"Wait, why do I...?"

"Don't ask questions, just move! All of you, stay with the Elsa, make sure none of the crew tries anything, understood?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Miltia, I never thought I would return home like this, never as a hostage to a rebel force. The city looks just like how it did that night fourteen years ago, the night when Jin and I boarded the evacuation flight to Second Miltia. I feel a sudden chill traveling down my spine, but it isn't the evening breeze that's causing me to do this. Memories, so many memories begin to fill my mind as I look around, both good and bad. I remember times I would walk down these streets with my father when we would go visit Mom in the hospital, but then I also remembered times when I got lost in the crowds of people.

"This isn't the time for sight-seeing," Citrine says impatiently, "we've got a job to do."

It's strange how Citrine is the only one watching each of us for this mission, but despite being our only guard, none of us can afford to try anything. The fact that the entire Kukai Foundation is at the mercy of her forces is one thing, but then her power to control Jr. is another factor. There's no way we can easily get out of this one, for now all we can do is follow her orders.

"We're here," my brother's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

I look up to find ourselves standing in front of the base of a skyscraper. Large pieces of rubble are scattered throughout the entire area, it looks like the part of the building that broke off. An old A.M.W.S. Unit lies near the rubble, the entire thing nearly rusted over. We walk up closer to the base of the building, finding the inside entirely blocked off by more rubble. Citrine points her gun at Ziggy, signaling him to move up there so that he may move some of the scrap. The cyborg does as asked, prying open the broken doors and quickly moving in to remove the debris. After just moving several pieces though, we find the rest of the structure inside almost empty.

"That's strange," my brother comments. "I could've sworn fourteen years ago that..."

"In fourteen years, U-DO must have reconfigured the entire interior somehow," Jr. explains. "The power of alteration not only applies to biological creatures, but it can also reshape anything if given enough time, kind of like how some nanomachines will alter the interior of a house on their own if left unchecked for a few years."

"It's here," Citrine suddenly says, "can you feel it, Rubedo? The purpose of our existence, it lies in here."

I begin to step inside now, my heart skipping a beat the moment I enter. Something is definitely strange about this, not just the fact that there is no debris inside, but something doesn't feel right. I feel my body being lifted a little, returning to its normal position a second later. The lift returns again, settling in the same manner. I hear something faint in my ears, I can't tell what it is. Thump, thump, thump, it sounds like a faint heartbeat. The sound of grumbling begins to echo over the beating, whistling whooshes also take precedence over it as well. The air feels so heavy, the atmosphere warm, and the smell of something rotting, all of it is making my stomach unsettled.

"Ugh...!" I find myself kneeling to the floor, trying to prevent the contents within my abdomen from going up my throat.

"Shion, what's wrong!" my brother hurries over to my side.

"...I don't know," I answer. "Something about this place, it just..."

"This feeling, I sense...," MOMO begins to speak.

"Gnosis now?" Ziggy asks. "That doesn't seem possible."

"It's not that," MOMO answers, "it's this place... My sensors are telling me that a large creature is housed inside this building, but..."

"This building is this creature," chaos explains. "As Jr. said, U-DO has reconfigured this entire complex, but I think a more appropriate term is that U-DO has become this entire complex."

"Fascinating," Canaan speaks. "Maybe if we destroy this complex, we might be able to destroy U-DO with it, but something tells me it won't be that simple."

"We're wasting time," Citrine interrupts. "Let's move on."

Jin helps me return to my feet, my palm covering my mouth and nose in an attempt to prevent the smell from returning to my nostrils. Everyone begins to walk again, but something suddenly stops me. The faint sound of metal ringing begins to find itself in my ear. The ringing begins to grow louder with every passing second, echoing in both my ears in equal volume. I turn around in an attempt to find the source, but I find nothing. I turn forward once again, there still isn't any sign of what's causing the noise. I turn to right and then my left, I still can't find anything. The noise has become the only thing I can hear now, but no matter where I turn, I can't find what's causing it.

The scenery starts to coalesce into itself at this time, my entire surroundings disappearing. I find the surface beneath my feet suddenly being stripped away, but I do not find my body falling, instead I find my entire self floating, almost like that time we were in the Cathedral Ship. The ringing grows louder and louder, its source coming from above me. I look up to find the color of gold, the bright-colored object that it colors slowly drifting toward me. It is the size of a skyscraper, its form almost in the shape of a cross. There's no doubt about it, it's the Zohar, but why is it here, and what happened to the others?

"So you have finally come," a powerful voice suddenly booms in my ears. "The 'Inheritor of True Will,' the 'Mother of Destiny.'"

"'Inheritor of True Will?'" the title puzzles me. "'Mother of Destiny?'"

"Hey didn't you hear me, move!" a force quickly meets with my back.

I find myself almost stumbling forward at this point, my feet once again stepping on a surface. I turn around to find Citrine with a disgruntled look on her face, as well as the entrance of the building behind her. I look forward once again to find all my friends looking at me strangely, some of them with worried looks on their faces. Without saying a word, I continue to move forward as asked, not wanting to anger Citrine any further.

'What was that just now?' I wonder. ''Inheritor of True Will,' 'Mother of Destiny,' what in the world?'

"Your answers... Lie with the Zohar and with KOS-MOS...," Nephilim's words echo in my mind once again.

What did she mean by that? I know that Febronia's sisters are supposed to be here, that's what Nephilim said, but what does the Zohar have to do with me? And KOS-MOS, who did she mean, Elly or Miang? Elly, where are you? Miang, what are you up to? This whole situation is getting me flustered, why is all of this happening to me all of a sudden?

"It looks like we've arrived at the center," Ziggy informs all of us.

The entire area we stand in now is in the form of a hexagon with a large circular hole in the center. The floor itself is some sort of metal mesh in the form of a beehive. The pulsing from earlier is even stronger here, the putrid air and heat has also grown more intense. The grumbling sound has also grown louder, it nearly rivals the sound of our voices. The walls here are a bit different from the ones in the previous hallway; several lines protrude from the surface, these indentations pulsing in the same manner as the ground.

"Brings back old memories, eh Rubedo?" Citrine asks in a mocking tone. "The floor directly below this one, it was the spot where you severed the link from the rest of us and it was the very spot you denied me of my existence!" she begins to raise her voice.

"And I'd do it again for the sake of..."

"Bold words, 'Great Leader!'"

The two of them draw their firearms again, the barrels pointed at one another. Citrine begins to push her palm forward, her hand once again glowing a bright orange. The glow causes the red-haired U.R.T.V. to kneel to the ground, but his weapons remain pointed at the female Variant. My brother prepares to draw his sword, but Citrine changes the direction of her weapon to Jin.

"Hm hm hm hm hm," a barely audible chuckle begins to echo throughout the vicinity. "Well this is certainly something I didn't expect to see," a voice I don't recognize begins to speak. "The U.R.T.V. forces fighting amongst each other like little children, I thought they were better raised than this."

"That voice...," Ziggy begins to speak, "it can't be!"

"It's been a long time, Ziggurat 8, or should I say, Jan Sauer?"

We all look up to find a black-cloaked man on a ledge. That garb, it looks exactly the same as those men in cloaks we encountered in the Song of Nephilim and the Kukai Foundation, but this one doesn't wear a mask. His face is somewhat round, his head showing not a sign of hair. He doesn't look very menacing at first, but then I see his eyes; dark red crimson irises and pupils as black as night, the exact same color of blood. The perimeter surrounding those scarlet orbs runs with countless webs of the same color, the space in between a dull luster of yellow. He begins to smirk now, the simper causing his eyes to narrow and baring his fang-like teeth. Just his appearance almost makes me fall to the floor, my nerves shot with terror.

"It's you...!" the mechanical man speaks, his voice showing indignation for the first time. "You! VOYAGER!"

His rocket launcher appears in his left hand now, each of the projectiles immediately being fired upward at our foe. The man simply stands there with the same dark smile plastered on his face, his body entirely unmoving. The missiles disappear the moment they're supposed to strike his body, only to somehow reappear behind the cyborg. Each of the rockets strike at his body instead, first with his legs and then his upper body.

"ZIGGY!" MOMO screams as he falls to the floor.

I equip my M.W.S. at this point and aim it at the man, immediately begin to open fire afterwards. Jr. and Citrine turn their weapons away from one another at this point and redirect their fire at the black-cloaked man. None of the projectiles seem to have any effect, so MOMO tries to jump into the fray as she begins to fire her bow.

"Pathetic!" the man says, the word somehow knocking the rest of us to our feet. "I have no time to deal with the likes of you, I have other business to intend to."

"You bastard!" Ziggy curses as he drags himself back to his feet. "You'll pay..."

"Ziggy...?" a frightened look appears on MOMO's face.

"Michael... Bagus... Sharon... Joaquin... All of them were such good people, and yet you... I swear... I swear Voyager..., I will defeat you, I will kill you for taking the lives of many and taking away those I've cared about!"

"Bold words, Jan, but I gave you that chance nearly a century ago when I offered you my power," the man scoffs. "You have no chance of defeating me whatsoever, no matter how much you upgrade that relic of a body of yours. Now if you'll excuse me...," the man suddenly disappears.

"Wait, Voyager! Elrich, come back here!"

Another cloaked man, that makes three of them. This one was just as powerful as the other two, and not only that, he knows Ziggy as well. Who exactly are these men, and what do they want with us?

"Ziggy, are you all right?" MOMO asks the cyborg. "Ziggy...?"

"I...I'm all right, MOMO," he stutters for the first time.

"Who the hell was that?" Jr. asks next. "He seems to know you pretty well, cyborg, just how do you...?"

His question is soon interrupted by another sound. I can hear footsteps beginning to echo above the sound of the throbbing of this room; the sound of heels clicking against the floor seems to have caught all of our attention. I can see a figure beginning to appear from the hallway in which we entered, its form engulfed in darkness but slowly making its way into the light. Long gloves are the first thing I notice, the palms colored black while the rest of the arm is colored in a very light blue. Long boots of the same color follow next, as well as a one piece swimsuit-like clothing. Fair white skin, almost the color of snow is revealed between the pieces of scant clothing, as well as long blue hair that flows down to the lower back.

"Elly...?" I barely call.

She stops the moment I say her name, my face immediately beaming the moment I recognize her face. The smile slowly melts away however, disappearing after I see the expression on her face. Not a hint of emotion; there is no smile nor frown on her lips, her cheek bones perfectly straight, and her crimson red eyes staring blankly into my own. Her hand begins to reach for the blaster on her side, the weapon immediately leaving its holster and the barrel pointed forward, aimed directly at us.

"Disabling auto-safety," she speaks in a monotone voice, "destroy all targets."

A beam of light escapes the barrel of her weapon after she speaks, the beam aimed directly at us. Everyone immediately jumps away from the blast, jumping to the sides in order to avoid it. I turn back to Elly to find her now running forward, her figure quickly catching up with us. She runs to my brother first, her fist connecting with his jaw before he gets a chance to draw his blade. Citrine quickly begins to open fire after she knocks my brother to the ground, but each of the shots has no effect on her. Elly begins to charge again, this time running to Citrine.

"Charging," she says as she runs, her right arm beginning to glow with a white light, "R-HAMMER!"

Her hand suddenly transforms into a mallet-like device, the object catching a lot of air as it swings upward. A splash of crimson escapes Citrine's lip the moment it strikes her face, the force behind the swing knocking her body backward. Another swing follows, this one swinging down with an overhead smash, striking the back of her head. Citrine quickly falls to the ground after being struck, but Elly continues her assault by grabbing her by the hair, lifting her off the ground.

This coldness, this disregard for her actions, this isn't Elly. The monotone face, the crimson eyes, all of it may look like hers a month ago, but... She was never like this, never so merciless against others, never so cold, never... No, this is her, this is how she was back then, but during that time, she only fought the Gnosis, and it was done exactly like this. What I'm seeing now is not the current Elly, this is...

MOMO tries to open fire with her bow as Jr. tries to do the same with his pistols, but just like Citrine's attempts, they have no effect. In a quick flick of her wrist, she sends Citrine away, tossing her toward the hole in the center of the area. I try to run in at this point, running to the center of the vicinity so that I may prevent Citrine from falling. Her body begins to sink through the floor's level, my body quickly diving to the ground with my arm outstretched so that I may catch her hand in time.

"Hold on, I've got you," I assure her.

"Funny how you're trying to help me," she smirks, "I thought I was your enemy."

"That may be true after all the things you've done so far, but if the Kukai Foundation is under your forces then..."

Before I can say anything further, I notice the sound of boots clacking against the floor has begun to echo above the other sounds of the room. I feel my heart beating as strong as a sledgehammer, my breath becoming very deep and slow. The clacking of boots begins to grow louder, I can't help but turn to the source, only to find a pair of crimson pupils staring directly at me.

"Charging," her right hand begins to glow once again.

"No, Elly, wait!" I plead.

"R-BLADE!"

"Chief!"

I find my left hand suddenly being pulled by another, but the sudden jerk loosens the grip on my right hand. In an instant the feel of Citrine's fingers quickly leaves mine, a quick jolt of pain running up my spine soon after. I turn to my side to find Allen lying next to me, his right hand grasping my left, but his other hand holding a wound on his shoulder. I look back up in front of me to find Elly still standing there, her arm at her side as the blade on her hand glows a bright red. My body instinctively begins to back away at this point, trying to crawl back as she continues to walk toward me. Her arm begins to swing down again, but her attack misses, instead finding another target. Allen has jumped in again, only this time the weapon strikes his back. He screams as the tempered edge slices into him, his cries only worsening after it is extracted a second later.

"ALLEN!" I cry.

The others try to run in at the time, all of them trying to rush forward as the younger ones fire their weapons. None of the projectiles have an effect on her, and she does nothing to fight off the others as they rush at her. Her left arm begins to move now, swinging it to the side, creating a wave of Ether. The Ether wave knocks everyone back against a wall, allowing her to turn her attention toward me once more.

"Primary target obtained," I turn back to Elly, her voice as cold as ever, "commencing..."

A flash of metal suddenly appears before my eyes before she can finish, the flash lasting only for a second. Elly continues to stand there, her entire body not moving at all. After several seconds, a single strand of hair falls from her head, the rest of it from the neck down quickly falling to the floor after. She begins to turn around now to reveal the one who saved me. Sky blue hair, cerulean blue eyes, black-framed glasses, and a tattered dress, it's...

"Elly...?"

* * *

(Miang's POV)

My palm begins to move forward, stopping before the empty glass container before me. My fingers begin to run down its smooth surface; I should feel sad, but I don't. The mass-produced KOS-MOS units, they're supposed to carry copies of my data, I suppose I can call them my children to a degree. I feel nothing though; it's strange, I thought that all mothers are supposed to feel some kind of emptiness when their children leave them, but I feel as if nothing has left me, nothing has changed.

'These aren't my children,' I think to myself as I look into the endless rows of myself, 'they are merely copies. They have no bearing to me whatsoever, but I want them to. No matter how I look at it, they're just machines, they have no emotional attachment whatsoever to me or anyone else.'

Mother... Is this how a mother thinks? Does Mother think like this about me? The child that was neglected, that's what I was. Only Father came to visit me when I had my own body, but he died by my hand, and Mother... Mother said she loved me regardless of what I did when I was still inside my sister, but after what I've been doing lately, I don't know if she still feels the same way. I've already done so much to my sister, but I know I've been pushing both of their limits more and more with what I've been doing lately.

When did I start thinking like this? Ever since I saw that boy on the Durandal, I... That boy, I feel a sudden warmth come over my entire body whenever I think of him. I don't know how to describe this feeling, it makes my entire body tingle, but I feel so at ease. Abel, what is it about that boy that...

"So you're six months in?" a soft and relaxing voice enters my ear.

"Yes," I hear my own voice next, but my mouth does not move.

The scenery around me begins to lift now, the cold metallic room disappearing from my vision. I find myself sitting now, my back resting against a chair, my body slowly rocking back and forth with the furniture as the wind blows. I look in front of me to find an endless field of dandelions, the bright yellow flowers bringing a smile to my lips. I feel a small push inside my swollen abdomen, my palm beginning to glide against it so that I may calm the one within.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" I turn to my side to find an old friend, his silver hair shimmering as bright as ever.

"Yes I have," I nod. "If it's a boy, it'll be 'Abel.' If it's a girl..., well, I don't know yet to be honest."

"Abel, that sounds like a nice name," he says. "Are you sure about this though?" he suddenly asks. "You know what 'he' wants of that child, correct? Once you've made up your mind, you know that 'he' will see through it to the very end, even at the cost of..."

"I know what the consequences are," I interrupt, getting out of my seat. "I've always known what they were. Unless you intend on taking advantage of my kindness and try to stop me here. Would that happen to be the case, Yeshua?"

"No, of course not," he answers. "I have no intention of ending a life that hasn't even started yet."

"I know," I tell him. "You're such a kind soul. Even though you have fallen out of grace with us, it's still nice that you come by and visit me every now and then."

"Of course, it's always a pleasure, Ne..."

"I don't go by that name right now," I remind him. "My name is 'Elhaym' for now."

"Oh, right, my apologies, Elhaym."

"Are you daydreaming, KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-0?" a raspy voice suddenly enters my ear.

I find myself once again staring into the empty glass container, my palm still running down its surface. I turn around to find the Patriarch standing behind me, his face in its usual serious expression.

"My apologies, Your Holiness," I tell him, "it won't happen again."

"It is of no matter," the Patriarch tells me. "In any case, are you sure of the location where KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1 is headed?"

"Yes sir," I answer. "If she has already come here in an attempt to sabotage our current operation, it would only be natural for her to head in the direction of the next step in Old Miltia."

"Very well, I will trust your judgement for this situation," the elder man begins to leave the room now. "Oh yes, did something happen between you and Inquisitor Orgulla?" he asks, the name causing my fingers to ball into a fist. "She seemed very upset when I mentioned your name when I visited her in the infirmary."

"No sir, nothing happened," I lie.

"Very well, I'll leave it at that."

The old man leaves the room now, leaving me alone once again with my thoughts. That vision I saw just now, what exactly was that? It was just like that time I came in contact with Abel. Mother, he called me "Mother" back then. Why is it that he called me such a thing, and why am I starting to have these visions? Could it be a malfunction, or...? No, is that even possible; when Elly and I split back then, was it possible that...?

Nephilim, is your curse still with me, even now?

* * *

(Elly's POV)

It's a miracle, I barely made it in time. The automated controls from the E.S. Dinah made this trip longer than need be. This woman in front of me, the dull blue hair, the blank expression, and the scarlet eyes, there's no doubt about it, this has to be one of the mass-produced KOS-MOS units.

"Two Elly's?" MOMO says, baffled by the current situation. "Or is one of them Miang?"

"How did you fall out of our ranks?" my opponent asks in a monotone expression.

"Fall out? I was never part of your ranks to begin with!" I explain, my grip tightening around my sword.

"Identifying..." the color in her eyes flashes for a second. "KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1," she says, "a defective product. KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-11-4 aborting current mission, switching to secondary objective, commencing termination."

"Defective product...?" the words leave Shion baffled. "Termination...? Elly, what is...?"

"Shion, everybody, stay out of this," I order, "I'll deal with her, it's me she wants right now."

The exact second after I finish my words, I find my enemy's R-BLADE swinging forward. The sheath of my weapon barely catches the strike of her blade, but my arm is quickly forced downward because of the power behind her attack. She tries to swing again, trying to go for a lunge attack this time. I manage to step to the side so that I may avoid it, my right arm quickly swinging my sword afterwards in an attempt to retaliate. The weapon slides across the left half of her face, easily tearing through artificial skin and revealing the metal plating and wires underneath. The attack obviously had no real effect on her, her body quickly reacting after my slice by returning the favor with a backhand.

The force behind the strike pushes me backward, my entire jaw aching and a warm streak of blood traveling down my lip. I spit out the contents of the crimson liquid that seeped into my mouth, but it does nothing to relieve the pain of her blow. She begins to rush at me again, her right arm beginning to illuminate in white and the shape of her arm changing.

"Charging... R-DRAGON!"

The device quickly lunges at me, its mouth wide open. I dodge the first lunge, my sword trying to deflect the second, only to be caught by the weapon's prongs as it shuts. I release the hold I have on my sheath at this point, putting both of my hands on the hilt of my weapon. The strength in both of my arms is unable to match the level of strength in the mass-produced KOS-MOS unit, the strength in her right arm is enough to push me to the ground. She lunges again afterwards, but this time I jump into her lunge with my weapon leading the way. The edge of the sword travels into the mouth of the weapon, but the end of the mouth is unable to stop the blade. The edge of my sword begins to tear away the material of the R-DRAGON, tearing away at the whole thing until she only holds half of it in her arm. She looks at the broken weapon for a second, its remains quickly disappearing afterward. Her hands begin to move toward her belly now, her fingers impaling straight into her abdomen. This next attack, there's no doubt about it, she's going to use...

"X-BUSTER!" I quickly recognize the attack.

The area that opened within her stomach begins to glow now, the glowing light transforming into energy as it begins to crackle. The electricity that escapes begins to grow unstable, her entire body beginning to tremble as it grows stronger. Beams of light begin to absorb into the crater, its center glowing a bright blue. I can't risk running toward her with my current weapon, and I lost my blaster back in the Ormus Sect. The only thing to do is...

The energy that was collected within her abdomen begins to escape now, creating a large blast that can easily destroy the base of this building. Wasting little time, I point my left palm forward, my hand beginning to collect as much energy as possible. Within seconds I have collected a sufficient amount of force, the power quickly being discharged afterwards.

"La so lu te ve ta!"

The beam of aura quickly breaks through the stream of energy my enemy has created. My own attack absorbs every particle of the blast, taking that energy to strengthen my own. In a single second, the stream of Ether pushes itself into the abdomen of my opponent. The Ether settles into the crater in her stomach, the center glowing brighter than ever. I quickly find myself rushing toward her after, quickly grabbing my sheath off the floor as I do so. The Ether inside her begins to grow erratic once again, ready to burst at any moment.

Both of my arms swing inward at this point, my the flat edge of my sword and my sheath striking the flaps of her opened abdomen with all my strength, forcing it to shut. Both of my arms swing again, swinging in the same direction this time to the right. The force causes her to stagger toward the hole in the center of the room, but she does not fall. The power inside her stomach begins to leak through the gaps between the flaps, it could burst in any second. A loud bang sound echoes in my ear, the KOS-MOS unit suddenly falling into the breach after. Another bang follows, this one coming from inside the whole, along with a bright blue flash that follows after.

"That was a close one," I turn to the source of the shot to find Jr. lying against the wall with a smoking pistol in his right hand.

"Was this supposed to be an attempted 'dramatic entrance?'" the military realian asks in a blank tone. "If it is, I'm not impressed."

I can't help but focus my eyes on the realian. I have seen him on the Durandal several times, but I've never been this close to him before. There's something about this man that makes me feel uneasy, something that makes me want to cut him in two at this very moment. I don't know why though, it's not that I'm angered by his last remark, but...

"Don't be so hard on her, Canaan," the silver-haired boy tells him as he uses a medica Ether on Allen's wounds. "That should do it, does it feel any better?"

"For the most part, yeah," Allen answers, "but you know...," his voice begins to fade away in my ears.

'Canaan!' the name immediately begins to replay through my head.. 'No, it can't be! Have they already...!'

"Elly...?" another voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Shion," I turn around to find my lover almost in tears.

"How can you be so inconsiderate!" she yells at me. "Leaving us so suddenly, talking about solving your problems all yourself, you're so immature!"

"...I'm sorry," I try apologize.

"In this past week alone you've made me worry so much more than you ever have!" she continues. "Why won't you open to us and tell us what's wrong, I'm here to help you, can't you even see that! And why did you wait so long to act, if you had gotten here sooner then Citrine...! The people in the Kukai Foundation, now they're...!"

"Shion, calm down," her brother tells her, wrapping his arm around her.

"Elly, your clothes are a mess and there are a few cuts on your body," MOMO points out. "What happened to you?"

"A lot has happened in the past...," I try to explain, "things that have occurred long before I was created. As a former product of the avatar of these events, it is my sworn duty that I make sure that what is planned for the universe is never brought into fruition."

"What?" my words leave everyone puzzled.

"The events that have happened so far... All of them have been planned several millennia ago. The evacuation of Lost Jerusalem, the Miltian Conflict, the Gnosis coming into this world, the destruction of the Woglinde, even now with Yuriev's private forces taking over the Kukai Foundation, all of it was manipulated into being."

"Wait, how do you know all of this?" Jr. asks.

"...I can't tell you right now," I say uneasily. "All I can say is that we have to get to the Zohar as quickly as possible before 'they' get it."

"Who do you refer to when you say 'they?'" the cyborg asks.

"...I believe we've ran into them several times in the past," I explain. "The men in colored cloaks. They're called 'Testaments,' they work directly under those who are manipulating the events thus far."

"And just what is their goal exactly?" Jin questions.

"I thought I knew myself at first," I admit, "but I recently found out that the events that happened between Miang and I were also staged, so a majority of the information I was given prior to being activated has been altered to a degree, even I had no idea about the KOS-MOS Project being mass-produced. I do know this though, the ones behind these events are going to use the Zohar to kill millions, if not billions or trillions, of people in the universe. I'm sorry, Shion," I apologize again, "I should have told you and everyone else about this sooner."

"...you're always so selfish, Elly," she sniffles. "You always only think about yourself. You never... think about how I feel, how all of us feel. But my words don't have total truth to them. What you told all of us just now, the reasons for why you ran away, it wasn't selfish, in fact, it was noble to a degree. You could've run away from all of this if you wanted to, you could have tried to live a different life, but instead, you tried to go and fix things yourself. I can't be angry with you because of that," she begins to smile. "It was very brave of you to tell us what you just said, Elly, and I'm glad that you told us. Really, I am. After what you've said, I have a better understanding as to why we have to find the Zohar before the Testaments reach it."

"We cannot allow you to do that," another monotone voice echoes in the area.

I look back to the entrance of the area to find three more mass-produced KOS-MOS units. The one in the center is equipped with an F-SCYTHE, the one on the right with two F-SHOT mini guns, and the one on the left with an R-DRILL. It was already difficult fighting one of them, I don't know if I can handle three more. Even if we were to get out of this predicament somehow, there's still that Canaan realian along with the Zohar.

"Everybody, go on ahead," the silver-haired boy suddenly orders us. "I can handle this."

"Are you insane!" Allen exclaims. "We all know what Elly did back on the Elsa, and I saw how you handled that Gnosis as well, but this is just too much, you can't...!"

"It will be all right," chaos assures us. "Please, go on ahead, I don't know how long I can keep them at bay with everyone here."

"Don't be ridiculous, chaos," Shion tells him. "We'll fight too, we can't leave you!"

"I have no intention of dying," he says calmly. "Now please, go."

"We'll see you later then," Canaan says and begins to run in the opposite direction.

"Elly, take care of Shion," chaos orders me. "And Shion..., your answers lie ahead," he continues.

"I will!" I tell chaos.

"...all right," Shion says uneasily.

Without saying another word, each of us begins to make our escape in the opposite direction, running into the next corridor and down the stairs it contains. I can hear the sound of gunshots and blades striking metal as we run, but as I listen to these noises, I don't hear a single cry of pain or sadness. I had my doubts in the past about that boy, but after the events that happened recently, I know now that he is the one that I was warned about in my orders when I was first activated, he is the one that has fallen from grace, so to speak.

"...chaos," my lover suddenly stops in her tracks to look back.

"He'll be all right," I assure her, "that boy won't die. He can't die."

The moment I begin to step forward again, I find my body suddenly coming to a stop. The floor beneath my feet begins to tremble slightly, I seem to be the only one to notice it. I wait several seconds for the tiny shake to occur once again, but it never comes. Clouds of dust fall from the ceiling the moment I believe it's over. Shion and Ziggy notice this, stopping in their tracks as the others continue forward. The ground begins to shake again, this one slightly stronger than the first. Everyone notices this and comes to a stop now, waiting for an inevitable third. Another occurrence of shaking occurs, this one strong enough to send MOMO to the ground. I turn to the walls to find the vein-like devices starting to swell and shrink violently, their red exterior turning a darker crimson. My feet begin to push me backward upon seeing this, disobeying the impulses of my legs. The trembling in the building begins to worsen, the ground before us moving upward quickly, knocking the rest of us to our feet.

"What's happening!" my lover asks, nearly panicking.

"...it's reacting...," Jr. says. "U-DO... It was never this bad fourteen years ago, but..."

Another tremble, this one pushing us into the ground further. The atmosphere begins to hiss afterward, a fifth violent quake soon following afterward. This quake continues longer than the last, the tremors not showing any signs of stopping. I turn to the others who lie on the steps below me, noticing a web of cracks starting to form on their half of the staircase.

"Everyone, move away from there, now!" I order.

The moment they hear my words, the steps begin to part with the tremors. Canaan and Allen ignore my pleads however, running down further down the flight of stairs, quickly brushing past the others as quickly as they can. The others struggle back toward me, but their half begins to break once again in the center. Before any of them cannot react to this, Jr., Ziggy, and MOMO find themselves cut off between Jin, who stands in the lowest section of the stairs, and Shion, who stands on the top half of the stairs. The support beneath their section begins to part soon after.

"Jr., Ziggy, I'm scared!" MOMO panics, clinging onto the Durandal's captain.

"Hang on!" Jin tries to hurry over to their section.

The raven-haired samurai runs to the end of his flight, his hand reaching out to the trio. At this point, I just barely notice that web of cracks has already fallen upon Jin's section, this web more spread than the trio's. Jr. walks over to the ledge of his section with MOMO in hand, the young realian's fingers reaching for Jin's. The two's hands are within a centimeter's reach, but a second after, Jin's hand suddenly falls downward.

"JIN!" Shion screams.

His body begins to fall into the abyss below suddenly, the surface beneath his feet crumbling in seconds. MOMO screams the moment after his body disappears from sight, the young captain quickly rushing back upward as fast as he can. It is too late however, as the cyborg already noticed long ago that the gap between their section and Shion's is too great.

"MOMO, Jr., Ziggy, over here, hurry!" my lover holds out her hand as far as she can.

"...it's no use," Ziggy says uneasily. "Everyone, grab onto me," he orders the two young ones.

"No, what are you doing!" Shion cries as Ziggy takes hold of the two.

"I couldn't..." the cyborg begin to speak, "save the ones I loved back then. I couldn't even get my revenge on the one who killed them. If I can at least save the one I care about now, then maybe my second death will not be pointless. Jr., I know you have nothing in your heart but contempt for me," he turns to the Durandal's captain, "but despite that, I know that you would do anything for MOMO, that you would always run to her side whenever she needed you."

"Cyborg...?"

"And MOMO, I... I'm glad that I met you. In the last one-hundred years ever since my resurrection, you were the first and only thing that ever really mattered to me. I care for you, MOMO, I care for you very dearly, as if you were my own daughter."

"Ziggy, I care for you too," the young realian says, her hold on him growing tighter, "I care for you as if you were my own father. You were always there for me, Ziggy, always doing your best to make me happy. I want to thank you for that, it had nothing to do with your job, but despite that, I'm glad you did whatever you could to make me happy."

"Elly, Shion, I found you and the others to be great comrades," he turns to us next. "I'm glad to have worked and got to know each and everyone of you. I don't know if I'll be able to make it out of this one, Elrich has won again. ...I have one last request," he begins to pause. "MOMO, please take care of her if she survives this, she is like a daughter to me, please, make sure Elrich or any of his comrades don't get to her."

"...all right," I find myself feeling unsettled by his speech, "I promise."

"Elly...?" my lover looks at me with her eyes watering. "Ziggy...?"

"Goodbye..."

Their fraction of the stairs begin to break now. The cyborg does nothing in an attempt to jump toward my lover, instead he simply stands there with his arms tightly wrapped around MOMO and Jr., his eyes closed. The floor beneath him crumbles away, his body sinking into the dark abyss, his back leading his plummet as he places the young ones in front of his chest. My lover begins to cry their names as they sink, her screams echoing above the sound of the tremors. I find my own eyes beginning to burn at this point, my eyes virtually melting and entire body twittering.

At this point I begin to notice the case that my lover and I stand on beginning to break apart. It crumbles quickly, but my lover doesn't notice right away. By the time she notices it, the newly formed halves begin to part from one another. I begin to run toward her column now, jumping past the growing gap between us. She catches me in her arms, the two of us falling toward the newly crumbling ground. Her hold on me is tight, my cheek slowly brushing against hers to assure her that I'm all right. I can feel the ground beneath us starting to break now, but neither of us move from this very spot. We simply lie here, holding one another in each other's arms, the tears on her cheeks melding with one another. My body tries to move away out of impulse, but Shion's arms tighten their hold around me.

"Don't leave me," she whispers in my ear. "Please Elly, never leave me ever again..."

"Shion...," I find my body settling with her words.

The surface below us disappears at this very moment, but our hold that binds us together is as strong as ever. I feel the wind quickly blowing against the sides of our faces, but I still feel the warmth of her body against mine. My heart is racing, but my lips are curled and my body calm. I know we're going to die, but at least I'm going to die in the arms I love.

I've been... so selfish and immature these past few days, I wish I was able to tell her and everyone else what I knew sooner. I wish we could have created more memories together; memories we could look back upon and smile, not ones we'd look back on with contempt. I wish I could wake up next to her once again, I wish we could have made love at least one more time. I wish... I wish she could have said that she loved me once more...

"Elly...," my lover's voice barely whispers. "I love you..."

"...I love you too, Shion..."

* * *

(chaos's POV)

"Nephilim!"

What is this? I don't feel her presence anymore. No, that's not entirely true, something's missing, I still sense her, but... A piece of her, I feel as if a part of her is gone, but why? It can't be! The others, what could have happened to them!

"R-CANNON!" the voice of one of my opponents suddenly calls.

The projectile moves forward with an incredible velocity, but I make no attempt to move. The shell explodes shortly after, filling the entire area around me with smoke. The attack has struck me, but I find no sensation of pain from the blast. I find my blood beginning to boil suddenly, my teeth forcing itself onto my jaw, and my fingers wrapped tightly by my thumb. My eyes are shut, but my eyelids do nothing to hold their floods. I can't feel her presence, half of her is gone, and her other half...

My entire body begins to grow warm at this moment, my blood burning like acid and my nails drawing blood through the material of my gloves. Another shell fires toward me, but again I do nothing to fight it. Two more follow, but again they have no effect. A fifth follows, but this time I find my head turning toward the projectiles and the back of my hand swatting it to the farthest wall. The smoke from the attack fades away shortly after, but my anger has not subsided at the very slightest.

The mass-produced KOS-MOS unit fires again, but this time I find my body moving forward, charging in as fast as I can. My fist quickly connects with the abdomen of the machine, my fingers unfurling inside and closing again so that they take hold of several wires within. The one with the twin gatling guns begins to fires not, but each bullet stops the moment it touches my skin, quickly falling to the floor afterward. I extract my hand now, pulling out the innards of the machine, causing it to short circuit and fall. I take the collection of wires and other parts in my hand and throw them at the one shooting at me with all of my strength, the force behind my throw breaking off its head. The remaining one takes its scythe and swings at my neck, but the blade shatters the moment it touches my skin. I grab the pole of the weapon at this point, my fingers easily crushing it after wrapping around it. The palm of my left hand points toward it now, the machine's body quickly being pushed back by an invisible force until it is engraved into a wall.

"I haven't seen you this angry in who knows how long," a voice I never wanted to hear again flows into my ears. "I think I remember the last time I saw you this angry, it was when..."

"Don't you dare speak!" I find myself losing my temper further, forcing my will toward the source, only to find it blocked by their own. "What is it you want from me, Pellegri!"

"Is this how you greet an old friend?" she asks as she approaches me.

"Last we spoke, I thought we weren't exactly 'friends,'" I point out.

"True, but there's no one else around," she continues, "you needn't call me by that name, just as I don't have to call you by yours."

"I like 'chaos' just fine," I tell her, "and I have no intention of calling you by your real name either, nor do I have any wish to be called by my own."

"As you wish, 'chaos,'" she corrects herself.

"Why are you here?" I ask again. "Did you come here to follow up the work of the 'Pale Horse?' Were you responsible for bringing the Black Testament here?"

"No, that's not why I'm here," she answers. "I simply came to give you a message from 'him.' He says, 'your return to the stage is now at hand. You can no longer escape in the curtain, your act begins once again.'"

"Never!" I try to force her away again, only to have her jump her away before it can touch. "I'll never be part of it, never again!"

"Was this belief forced upon you by the people?" she asks. "I remember back then, you would do everything 'he' asked without question, and now look at you. You've been poisoned, Ye..."

"I don't go by that name anymore!" I scream, my power trying to strike at her once again.

"You can't run from it forever, you coward," Pellegri taunts. "In fact, you never ran away from it. You were always with those who were involved, even now as you so desperately cling on to 'her' memory, even though one of 'her' new selves is in the arms of another. Come to think of it, 'she' never truly left either, did she?"

"That's enough!"

"It's just so hard to see you like this," she sighs. "Fine, I'll leave you alone for now, but keep this in mind, 'he' will be seeing you soon, Yeshua."

She begins to disappear afterward, her entire body becoming translucent before disappearing into the atmosphere. I find my anger beginning to subside a little at this moment, my thoughts now locked upon the words she had just said. I'm... a coward, I've just been running away for the longest time. I realize now that I haven't been running away entirely, I have been running toward my destiny all along. How I still cling so desperately to 'her,' how I've gotten myself involved with the others, all this time, I've been running toward my fate just as 'he' wanted. Though it was never running away, it was running behind, never straight on like her. Elly, I thought the two of us were very similar when we first met, but now... Unlike you, I can't tell everyone what is truly going on, I can't bring myself to grow close to anyone else, I can't... It's just like how it was back then, when you and your sister were...

No, now is not the time to reminisce. If I can't sense 'her' anymore, then I must at least finish what the two of us planned not too long ago...

* * *

(Citrine's POV)

Frozen, everything just feels so frozen. The ceiling, not once have I ever looked at it for so long... My head feels as if it's spinning, my thoughts swishing around my brain endlessly over what just happened. My entire body feels so sore, everything from above my legs is paralyzed by a large jolt of pain. My eyes, I feel something beginning to trickle out of them. Am I crying? No, I never cried before, I never wanted to cry, a U.R.T.V. is never supposed to cry, never supposed to have any emotions whatsoever.

"How are you feeling, Citrine?" a raspy voice echoes in my left ear.

I say nothing as he asks this question, but voice choking from my own tears. He waits for me to speak, but he leaves soon before I can respond. Once again I focus on the ceiling, focusing on anything to take my mind off the pain.

Yuriev, my father, I can never get used to these exclusive meetings with me during the evening. No matter how many times he summons me, no matter how many times I feel his hands running down my body, no matter how many times he enters me, I can never get used to it. The pain, the paralysis, the bleeding, I can never rid myself of these things every time we do this. He says there is a reason why he does this with me and only me, he says that the other female U.R.T.V.'s are easily broken, that none of them were as strong as I am.

"You were created to be a very special girl, Citrine," he would always tell me. "You are stronger than the others, the strongest out of all of them. You are just like your mother; you know the importance of duty, you follow my orders and mine alone. You are willing to give your life away to me and the mission, willing to do what ever I ask. That is what makes you special, Citrine."

"I am special," I find myself repeating the words he always tells me. "I am special. It's because I don't question his ability to act, it's because I know the importance of duty that I am the strongest in the U.R.T.V. Forces."

The door to the room begins to creak now, my legs can't help but close inward so that I may brace myself for the searing agony he places inside me once again. I do not find him on the other side of the door however, instead I find another, one whom does not share the same fate as me.

"Albedo...?" I immediately recognize the white-haired boy.

"...Citrine," he weakly calls my name.

He looks at me with fluid escaping his irises, the violet orbs practically melting. His usual smile is no longer plastered on his face, instead his lips are curled downward and his jaw quivering. A small whimper escapes his voice, his eyes burrowing into the mattress I lie on. He takes my hand, his grip strong and tight. I can do nothing but stare at him as he cries, puzzled as to why he feels this way.

"What's going on in there!" our father's raspy voice yells from the other side of the bathroom door.

The entrance to the levorotary swings open now, the knob slamming against the wall next to it. Yuriev stands in the entrance, his face scrunched and his body heaving heavily. His eyes quickly turn to the male Variant, his feet stomping into the ground as he approaches him. Albedo finds himself being knocked to the side, struck by the knuckles of our creator. Another swing follows, this one from the opposite side and knocking him to the ground. The U.R.T.V. tries to crawl away, only to have some of his hair gathered into our father's fist. The two of them begin to leave the room now, Albedo screaming as Yuriev drags him outside.

"You stupid little brat!" I hear him yell from the other side, along with the sound of more cries.

I hear the sound of crunching on the other side, along with more whimpers. I find myself pulling against the sheets of the mattress, pulling myself out of the bed and onto the floor. Just the feel of the ground creates another jolt of pain to surge through my entire being. I wrap the bed sheet around my body at this point, my legs barely inching forward and my body nearly falling with every step. As I make my way out the door, I hear Yuriev's yelling continuing.

"How dare you question my actions! You're a weakling, Albedo, a pathetic weakling, one not worthy enough to be one of the Variants, no, the U.R.T.V. Variants in general."

"...that's a lie," I hear Albedo retort.

"What...!"

"I said that's a lie! I question your actions not as a member of the U.R.T.V. Forces, but as another human being. No, I don't question them, I'm repulsed by them! What you were doing to Citrine just wasn't right! I saw how much she was hurting, and you still...!"

"Silence! You have some nerve to say such a thing to me, Albedo, me, the one responsible for your creation!"

"Yuriev," I find myself standing in the doorway now, "what are you...?"

"This is none of your business, Citrine," he answers, his temper suddenly disappearing. "I'm just giving the rightful punishment to this weakling."

"Weakling?" the word puzzles me.

"Yes, weakling. He's such a weakling, talking about morals and other things U.R.T.V.'s shouldn't be concerned about. It's truly pathetic."

"Pathetic..."

"No, Citrine, don't listen to him!" Albedo cries. "What he's doing to you isn't right, regardless of..."

"Enough!" our father orders, his foot smashing his face into the concrete surface. "You've said enough already, Albedo, how much more punishment do you think you can take. You should consider yourself lucky, if you weren't the Variant with regenerative powers, you would be dead now."

"It hurts...," the white-haired U.R.T.V. barely speaks.

"Look at you, the look of anguish on your face, that sensation, can you feel it?" he taunts. "It's the feeling of pain; your wounds may heal, but your body will always remember the agony, it's vital to one's existence, is it not? Nigredo, Rubedo," he calls in the other two Variants. "Watch him, make sure he doesn't leave this room."

"But sir...," Rubedo tries to speak.

"But nothing!" Yuriev interrupts. "Or do you also wish to receive the same treatment as Albedo?"

"...no sir."

"Come along, Citrine, let's leave this weakling to wallow in his own weakness."

The images around me begin to blur at this point, molding into a single piece of scenery and color. I feel my back lying against a cold, metallic surface, my eyes staring into an endless black abyss above. I begin to push my arms against the floor beneath me, my eyes drifting to the sides so that I may observe some of my surroundings. I find various computer terminals around me, each of their screens lit up with a bunch of 0's and 1's. It is now that I remember what had just happened moments ago. Damn machines, didn't think they would actually...

"Did you have a dream of the past?" I find a figure beginning to suddenly appear before me. "Was it a good dream?"

"That's none of your business, Voyager," I spit at the black-cloaked individual.

"Can I ask you something?" he says as I return to my feet, patting away the dust off my clothing.

"What?"

"Yuriev, was it he that hammered those beliefs into your head?" he asks. "Was it because of his love for you that you dedicated your life to his cause?"

"...I don't want to hear anything like that from you," I answer, my eyes turned away from his. "What went on between the two of us when I was six and then on, it wasn't love, it was..."

"A test of loyalty, do you honestly believe that?"

"And just what do you know!" I remove my gun from its holster, its barrel aimed directly between his eyes.

"Temper, temper, Citrine," he smiles, "it was just a question. By the way, you took a nasty fall, don't you think?" he changes the subject. "If it had been any other person, they would have surely died."

"I'm not any other person, keep that in mind," I tell him. "I'm sure not any other person would be able to fire rapid shots from a .50 caliber for that matter either, their entire arm might've broken off from the recoil after only four shots. Though I do admit, I do enjoy these kinds of clothes more than the ones you and the others assigned me."

"The yellow cloak," he reminds me, "it suits you well, does it now, 'Testament of Sameness?'"

"I hate that name," I tell him, the mentioned clothing appearing on my skin. "I thought I told you back then, I preferred the title of 'Pale Horse,' it works better than 'Yellow Testament' or 'Testament of Sameness,' right, 'Testament of Death?'"

"My title is better than all of yours," Voyager smirks.

"Whatever. In any case, they should arrive here in any minute," I inform him. "The 'Mother of Destiny' and her comrades have fallen for our trap, even with the 'Great Evil' on their side, they haven't predicted this."

Soon Rubedo, soon revenge shall be mine. I told you back then that if you were to deny me of my reason to exist, I would do the same to you. Once I have accomplished this, I can finally achieve our true purpose...

* * *

XenoMark's Note: Well, how was it? A few revelations in this chapter, but another question. The 'Mother of Destiny' and 'Inheritor of True Will,' we'll get the answers for these in the next chapter. I guess now we've hit the halfway mark for this fic now, I hope you're all enjoying it so far. On the subject of Miang's vision in this chapter, it's the opposite of Elly's visions. Elly has visions when she's asleep, Miang on the other hand, has visions when she's awake. What these visions are will be explained later on, but I'll hint at this, it all points to Nephilim. Well reviews would be greatly appreciated, hopefully they won't be flames. Guess that's it for now, hope to see ya in the next chapter.


	9. Roots and Revelations

XenoMark's Note: Recently I just saw the new info and trailer for Xenosaga Episode 3, and well, I have to say that I hope this new episode is better than episode 2. Anyways, after learning some info on the game and seeing the first few screenshots and trailer, I have to say that I'll try to integrate this new information into the plot of this fic as well, so I guess that means the last chapter isn't the halfway mark of this fic. Well then, in this chapter we get an idea of what the "Mother of Destiny," along with a big revelation for Shion that Jin was trying to hide from her for a long time (obviously this revelation has most likely strayed away from the original Xenosaga storyline, but whatever). We get some more insight into Ziggy's past later on, along with the appearance of the Scientia Organization (read the script translation for Xenosaga: Pied Piper for info on this, in fact, it's probably best you do so before reading this chapter). Also, Miang gets some more action sequences, but this time she won't be fighting her sister. With that said, let's get back to the story.

* * *

Chapter 9: Roots and Revelations

(Allen's POV)

I can't believe what I just did... The Chief and everyone else, I... All of them were in danger and I just ran. Why, why did I do that? Is it because I knew I couldn't do anything to help them, or...? No, that's not true, I could've done something, I could've tried to do something, but I.. I just ran, my only concern being my own life. I'm a sad excuse for a man.

"Something wrong, Ridgeley?" the military realian I escaped with asked.

"Of course something's wrong!" I yell. "We just left our friends back there without even attempting to give them a hand. We shouldn't have done that, we should have...!"

"And just what is it we could have done?" Canaan asks, calmly. "You saw it yourself, the stairways were already beginning to crack the moment the structure began to shake, there's nothing we could've done."

"That's not true!" I retort. "If we had warned them ahead of time, then maybe...! Dammit!" my fist bangs against the closest wall. "I know I could've done something, at least a warning. I could have tried to help them hurry down further, but... Dammit... Dammit... Dammit!"

"Calm down!" the realian orders as he takes hold of my collar. "In times of war, you can't have a firm grasp on the situation, you can't control everything that happens."

"But this isn't a time of war, this..."

"It very well could become one. Listen to me, Ridgeley! No matter how you look at things, there's nothing either of us could've done without losing our lives in the process. You can keep wishing you could have done something, but that's not going to help no matter how you look at it."

"But I...!"

"You'll get your chance," the realian releases me now. "Don't always think that one failure means the end. If you really want to help that badly, you'll have the opportunity to do so at one point. It might not have been back there, but that doesn't mean that time is long off."

"...yeah, I guess you're right, Canaan," I begin to calm down now. "I shouldn't just mope around because of things I couldn't control, I have to..."

"Whatever, let's continue on."

The others have to be okay, there's no way that they'd die so easily after everything that's happened so far. Even chaos said it himself, one day I'll be able to comfort the Chief and wipe away her tears. That day, it may be sooner than I think. Hang on, Chief, I might not be able to do much, but I'll do my best to help you and the others!

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

The cries that once filled the room have come to a stop; the masses that once tried to bring us harm have now settled, creeping as best as they can into the corners of the room. I see the fear in their eyes, looking past the deformities of their bodies and their rotting skin, looking into the very depths of their souls. I close my eyes in an attempt to block out the emotions I see within them, but I can still hear their sadness and fright from my ears. The actions my comrades and I have just committed, they may have been a good cause for stopping the Soylent System, but the victims of the system are still human. Yes their forms no longer resemble that of men, yes they needed the blood of humans to relieve the rotting of their flesh, but their feelings and hearts are still that of men.

I look at the giant Wels that my comrades and I had just defeated, gazing deep into his eyes. His entire being is stricken with even more pain; not only is the rotting of his skin growing worse, but now he is feeling the effects of the wounds we had inflicted upon him. Seeing him like this makes my body tremble, shaking not from fear, but from the emotions that tear from my eyes.

"Citan...," I turn to my spectacled comrade, "please lend me your sword."

Without saying a single word or showing any objection, the man hands me his katana. I take the weapon with my left hand, turning back to the fallen in front of me. His body begins to wince once again when he notices the weapon in my hands, his body trying to struggle. It saddens me further to see him like this, the only thing I can do is bring him relief.

I take my right hand at this point and bring it to the blade of the katana, my fingers closing down on the dull edge and my palm onto the sharp. I tighten my grip on the sharpened steel, the grasp causing me to wince. Droplets of ruby escape the palm of my hand now, my hand opening so that the drops may fall more freely. The spots of blood fall onto the mouth of the victim before me, his mouth barely opening so that he may catch every drop of the crimson elixir. His lips barely stretch after consuming the substance, his eyes no longer showing fear, but relief. Even though he is now relieved, his body ceases to move any more, his visage and body forever frozen in this form.

"I'm sorry...," I apologize, trying my best to hold back my tears. "I guess... I couldn't help you after all. All I can do for you now is cleanse your wounds. I'm so sorry...," I cry, no longer able to keep the keep the rivers at bay.

"Elly...," my long-haired comrade barely calls.

I turn to the remaining individuals who huddle into the corners, their bodies still aching from the agony of their flesh. Some have fallen to the floor succumbing to the pain, others scratch at the peeling skin in an effort to rid themselves of the distress, and then there are those who simply scream due to its effect. The tears in my eyes begin to dry at this point, the sadness in me quickly replaced by determination, the determination to try and relieve this people of this pain. I quickly wipe away my tears, regaining my composure as best as I can and step onto a bench situated close by. Though I cannot fix their ailments as I have with the one who just died, the most I can do is give them support.

"Please! Listen to me!" I cry, trying to gather their attention. "Stop fighting among yourselves. We are all humans! This facility was built by the Solaris Ministry...," I inform them. "It was created to implement their 'no waste' plan. Such facilities were to convert mutated humans into weapons that were used as tools for their ambitions. Just one part of their overall plan of racial purification. Of course, once you enter their umbrella of protection... ...you can avoid absolute death. But is that human life!" I raise my voice. "Even if you are the only one left, if you're devoid of a heart, what does it all mean? All of you, want to be loved... needed by someone, so we look to others... By ourselves, we are lonely, so we try to draw together to live... That's what it means to be human... That's how people live. A single hand cannot clap. To relieve your pain, I'll give however much of my flesh you need. Therefore... don't throw away your dignity as humans... Don't let go of your human heart..."

I find my body beginning to grow weak now, my legs slowly losing feeling and the rest of my body soon following after. My body does not meet with the ground however, as I find it being caught in the arms of another. My pony-tailed comrade pulls me toward him, his eyes showing a deep concern as he holds me. He holds me tight, his arms lightly shaking in an attempt to keep me conscience, but even his actions can do little for my fainting.

"Elly...!" he cries. "Are you okay? What are you doing?"

"You think I am doing something foolish?" I ask.

"No..."

"I only did what I could," I tell him. "Maybe I'm a hypocrite. A well to do 'have.' Maybe it's only pity for the 'have-nots...' But if I can know the joy of giving out a little of the life within me... Then maybe someday it may just be possible that one human can truly give love to another... People can do it... I truly believe they can. That's why..."

"Elly, wake up," another voice begins to call to me, frantically. "Wake up, Elly! Wake up!"

I begin to open my eyes now, my vision being greeted by a pair of emerald pupils. I begin to push my upper body off the ground, only to find it falling back again, forced backward as the arms of another wraps around me, their body pressing against mine in the process.

"Elly, thank god!" my lover cries as she hugs me.

Another dream... No, it felt too real to be a dream, it was just like the other ones I've been having recently. That man who resembled Abel, Fei, was in it once again, but there was also another. Citan, that man who owned the sword, he looked very familiar, but who... Jin? No, it couldn't be... What was Jin doing in my dream? Never mind that, I thought Shion and I were supposed to be dead, so why...?

"Shion, what happened?" I ask. "I thought we were falling after that sudden earthquake and then..."

"None of us here are sure what happened," I look past my lover to find her brother standing close by. "When I came to, I found us here, with no injuries whatsoever."

"And just where are we exactly?" I question, the area looking alien to me. "This place isn't anything like the area we were in previously."

The entire vicinity is a rich pink color, almost the color of red. The color is everywhere, but in some areas it is more translucent than others. Some parts looks as if they are pulsing, others appear to be rivers flowing along an invisible surface. Even the ground beneath us has a similar impression, it looks like we should be falling through the surface, but the question is, what surface is there?

"My only guess is that we're somewhere deep inside U-DO," Jin answers.

"How's that possible?" Shion asks as she releases her grasp of me.

"chaos said that Labyrinthos has become a part of U-DO if you recall," Jin explains, "and do you remember what it was like when we ventured further into the structure? It became more and more like the anatomy of a biological creature."

"So then, we must be deep inside it," I conclude.

"We must find the others quickly," Jin orders. "If we survived, then they must have as well. I don't want to think about what may happen to them or us if we linger here too long."

"Right, let's get going," Shion nods.

The two siblings begin to run forward now and I begin to follow. After taking only three steps however, the two suddenly stop, their bodies frozen in place. I stop the moment I pass them, turning back to find them in the exact same position and pose they were last in. I begin to notice that the entire scenery around me as become frozen as well, the pulsing of the environment and its flowing rivers have come to a stop.

"What the, what's going on?" I ponder.

Before I can be given a moment to contemplate, a small ringing noise begins to emit in my ear. The sound catches my attention, causing me to freeze for a moment. It rings again a second later, but this time I see a flash of an object in my eyes. Another ring, the same image flashing in my eyes once again, this time I see it for a second more. A third ring, and then a fourth, each one revealing the same device for a more prolonged period of time with each instance. Finally the object becomes clear in my eyes; it's a giant gold-colored artifact, almost in the shape of a cross with a gem in the vertex.

"The Zohar!" I quickly recognize the device.

The gem begins to shift suddenly, the luster suddenly peeling away, revealing the shape of an oval with two ellipses inside it. The new shape looks like some sort of eye as I stare into it, but... Wait, did it just move? Did the 'eye' just blink and then turn toward me?

"The 'Arbiter' has arrived," a mighty voice begins to boom inside my ears now.

"'Arbiter?'" the title leaves me confused.

"...no, this isn't the 'Arbiter,'" the voice continues, "this is only half of it."

"Are you referring to Miang and me?" I ask.

"Oh 'Arbiter of the Future,' of what path do you seek?" the voice begins to question. "Is the path you wish to partake the one your eyes intend? Or is the path you seek one in which you sever the Strings of Fate? Whatever your choice may be 'Arbiter of the Future,' may you choose your destiny wisely, for it can never be undone."

"Elly, what's wrong?" my lover's voice echoes in my ears again.

"Huh?" I look back to find Shion and Jin standing in front of me, a look of concern on both of their faces. "I'm sorry, I must've spaced out for a second," I lie.

"Time is of the essence, you mustn't do that again," Jin lectures.

"Right."

'That voice just now...,' I think to myself as the three of us run, 'I've never heard it before, and yet, it felt so... familiar... 'Arbiter of the Future,' why does that title seem familiar as well? The Zohar, what exactly is it and what is it's link to me? No, what's more important is its link to Shion. I can't allow her to get in contact with it, I can't allow her to learn the truth!'

"Shion...," I stop once again.

"What is it?" she asks, her running coming to a halt once again.

"...no matter what happens, you'll always be yourself...," I tell her. "It doesn't matter who you are, but I, no, not just I, everyone will always be by your side. Isn't that right, Jin?"

Her brother's tracks slowly come to a stop after my question. His back faces me for several moments, his head turned to the side and his eyes drifting to the floor. A worried look appears on Shion's face as she watches her brother ponder, that expression worsening on my own face as I see hers. Finally he turns around, his eyes shut and his lips closed inward.

"...that's right," he finally speaks. "You are you, Shion, nothing can ever change that."

"Elly, Jin, what are you two talking about?" my lover asks, confused. "Did something happen?"

"...you needn't worry," I try to assure her. "As long as I'm here, you needn't worry..."

I'm sorry, Shion, but there are still some things that I can't tell you, and I'm sure Jin would agree with me on this subject. Please Shion, no matter what happens, stay you, stay the way you are...

* * *

(MOMO's POV) 

My body feels so light, as if it's floating. I can hear the sound of waves flowing beside me, but my lungs still breath the air. I'm...alive, but how, I do not know. I open my eyes to find a magenta-colored atmosphere around me, the scenery beating like a heartbeat. I try to move my body, but I can find no surface to step on. I find my entire self rotating instead, finding the same atmosphere and color everywhere I turn. Wait, I see something else in front of me, another person that I quickly recognize.

"Jr.!" I call out to him.

"MOMO!" he turns to me.

His arms and legs begin to paddle into the atmosphere, stroking outward as if he were swimming. In seconds he swims next to me, the two of us floating side-by-side. He breaths a sigh of relief afterwards, his arms quickly wrapping around me. I return the embrace and hold him close; a small fear has been lifted off my shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

"I'm okay, but where's Ziggy?"

"...I don't know," he answers, regretfully. "When I woke up, he was gone. He said that he would do everything he could to make sure we were okay, but... Damn it, this isn't fair! After how I treated him and everything, he still...! Why did he do that? He should have just...!"

"Jr., stop it!" I demand, doing my best to hold my tears back. "Ziggy didn't care how you treated him, he knew that even though you two didn't get along, you'd still protect me if he was no longer there. Ziggy would always put the need of others ahead of his own, didn't you ever notice that over this past month?"

"I realize that now, but he didn't have to sacrifice himself to save us," Jr. explains. "I mean, I'm sure we all could have survived somehow if..."

"The others survived, I just know it," I interrupt. "Ziggy, Shion, Elly, Jin, and chaos, all of them are okay, I just know it. It's not like you to give up hope that easily, Jr., so please, have as much faith in them as I do right now."

"Faith is just a false hope...," another voice begins to echo in the atmosphere. "It sets up expectations that allow us to keep going, but when those expectations are not met, we quickly fall. It's pathetic, don't you think?"

"Citrine!" Jr. quickly recognizes the voice.

Our bodies begin to plummet downward after, the air quickly slicing against as I we fall downward. Everything in the vicinity begins to blue, the sound of wind screeching taking precedence over our own screams. Finally our bodies stop falling, our feet firmly placed on the ground and the scenery around us changing. No longer are we floating in an endless floating atmosphere, but we now stand in some sort of computer room.

The entire room is absent of life with the exception of Jr. and me. The sound of computers clicking and beeping has taken the place of the screeching wind, but it is not enough to drown out the sounds of our own breathing and footsteps. The cold feeling of the metal floor can be felt through the material of my boots, the feeling also shown through the mist that escapes my breath. Wait a minute, the layout of this room, it looks almost like the control rooms found in Proto Merkabah, but I know for a fact that we're looking at something completely different.

Actually, now that I think about it, I know this place, I know exactly where we are. I've never personally been here myself, but this entire room has been outlined in my data banks. Daddy had left me some of the information about this place, along with several codes to... Wait, is that why Mommy really had me go here with Jr. and the others? She couldn't have just sent me to help everyone, she wanted me to...

"Where are we now?" Jr. asks.

"You don't recognize this place, Rubedo?" Citrine's voice echoes again. "Well I'm not surprised that you don't, we never came this far during our mission fourteen years ago. This is the main computer terminal in Labyrinthos, located on the seventh basement floor, not even U-TIC officers with the highest security clearance have access to the contents in the computers here. But, there is one among you who can access them."

Wait, how did she know about that? The only people who ever knew about my hidden data about this place were Mommy, Daddy, and the Contact Subcommittee, unless... It's just as Shelley said, the U-TIC Organization must have snuck into the highest levels of the Galaxy Federation's government and its organizations, that's probably how she knows.

A figure begins to appear in front of us now, but it is one that neither of us recognize. This individual that suddenly appeared out of thin air wears a long cloak and mask, covering their entire body. The cloak and mask are exactly the same as the ones as the Testaments we've encountered so far, except that this one is a dull yellow. This new Testament begins to move their arm forward, but before anything else can happen, Jr. draws his pistols and immediately begins firing. Like the similar enemies we've encountered before, the ammunition has no effect on them, the bullets falling to the floor as if they struck a wall.

"Useless," the Testament speaks, their hand glowing a bright yellow shade after.

The bright light that emits suddenly brings Jr. to the floor, causing him to drop his guns and bring his hand around his neck. He begins to sweat profusely, the perspiration quickly turning into steam after escaping its pores. His expression of agony, it's exactly like that time when Citrine...

"Stop it, what are you doing to him!" I yell.

"He's the one who started it," the Testament lowers their hand afterward. "So how did that feel, Rubedo?" the Testament asks, calling Jr. by his real name. "Do you recall that sensation? The expression on your face, it was exactly like that. This look suits you well, Rubedo. My word, listen to me talk, I'm sounding exactly like that weakling, Albedo."

"Citrine...?" Jr. and I begin to recognize the voice.

"It took you that long to figure it out?" she asks, removing the mask on her face. "I really did give you and the girl more credit."

"But how's that possible?" the situation baffles me. "When you were with us the whole time..."

"This is my true form," she answers. "Rubedo, did you really think I survived that incident fourteen years ago? I'm not Albedo, I don't have powers of regeneration, and a simple Medica Ether could not heal the wounds that were inflicted upon my body. You and the others left me there to die, you had denied me my chance to fulfill our purpose in life. I couldn't die without fulfilling our purpose, but as fate would have it, I had been offered a second chance. 'He' recognized my 'Shining Will,' saw my true potential. I was saved at the expense of throwing away my past life, and in exchange, I had to swear my allegiance to 'him,' becoming what I am now."

"And who is this 'he' you're talking about!" Jr. demands. "Is it Yuriev, or someone else? Answer me!"

"And just why should I answer, Rubedo?" Citrine asks. "You're in no place to make the demands here. If I wanted to, I could just clump up all your red blood cells near your heart and simulate a heart attack, but 'he' wouldn't want that. You, the realian, and the others still have roles to fulfill."

"What the hell are you talking about!"

"Don't you worry, you'll find out soon enough. Besides, be glad things are this way, at least you'll be guaranteed that nothing will happen to Kukai Foundation since I can't die. Now then, you, the 100-Series Prototype, you're the one with codes to access these computers, right? Well get to work!"

Not wanting to cause any trouble, I do as she says. I walk over to the terminal in the center of the room and activate the control panel. The screen of ones and zeroes disappears with the press of a button, the background changing shape into a black screen with the U-TIC Organization's logo in the center. A smaller screen shows up in front of the logo now, asking for an ID and password. I do as the prompt says, typing in my serial number and the password Daddy left in my data banks, but instead of giving me access to the server, an error message shows up.

"ID and/or password are invalid?" I read from the screen.

"I guess my information was wrong," Citrine shrugs, "I suppose I don't have a use for you after all," her gun appears in her hand.

"Hold it!" Jr. readies his own firearms once again.

In an instant, the red-haired U.R.T.V. pulls the trigger of his guns several times, each pull resulting in a bullet escaping from one of his weapons. Citrine quickly notices this, turning her magnum away from me at this point and turning it toward Jr., tossing her cloak away in the process. She fires her gun several times as well, but the projectiles that escape aren't aimed for Jr., their aimed at the bullets he fired. The heads of each shot meet in seconds, each one falling to the floor upon impact. Jr. begins to move after the last bullets fall, firing his gun again as he strafes. Citrine copies his action, loading a new clip into her firearm before resuming her fire. Again each shot misses their intended target, striking against another bullet's head or impacting against a piece of electronic equipment.

The two start to come toward the end of the room, the two of them bound to meet at the curve. Closer and closer they come toward each other, each shot drawing closer and closer to their flesh. A clicking noise begins to emit from one of their guns now, the barrel of Citrine's magnum now pulled all the way back. Jr. quickly notices this, rushing in as fast as he can and leaping into the air. His foot leads his leap, but Citrine fails to act before it plants itself on her chest. His other foot follows, taking a step on her body and jumping off again, his body leaning backward so that he may perform a back flip. He points his guns at her once more, taking advantage of her moment of being stunned. His fingers begin to pull back on the triggers, but before a single bullet can escape, his entire body is suddenly forced backward, his body quickly meeting with the floor.

"I never really enjoyed using my powers," she admits, her left palm pointed forward. "But I can't let you interfere with my purpose again, Rubedo. Now then, 100-Series, where were we?" she turns her attention to me once more.

"Stop it!" another voice yells in facility.

Each of us turns to the entrance of the room now finding the source of the voice. Tanned skin, silvery-white hair, and azure blue eyes are the most notable features of the one who stands there. chaos, I knew he'd be okay, but there's something different about him. Normally he would look at each of us with a calm demeanor, but now everything is different. His tone of voice, it definitely isn't something he normally shows us. It was full of anger and his eyes are narrowed; it's just like when he attacked Albedo in the Kukai Foundation, only amplified. Did something happen when we left him to deal with those KOS-MOS units?

"That's enough fighting!" he orders. "There's been enough bloodshed for today. I don't want anyone else to get hurt, friend or foe!"

"Huh, chaos, what's wrong?" Jr. asks as he pushes himself back up.

"Hmph, you got lucky that the boy arrived," Citrine says as she returns her weapon to its holster.

"I never want to see anymore bloodshed, is that clear!" he repeats himself.

"chaos, calm down," I try to tell him. "This isn't like you at all. Just what happened when we left you?"

"...it's nothing," his voice begins to lower. "This place... I never thought that..."

"chaos, do you want to talk about it?" Jr. asks, tugging the sleeve of his shirt.

"Don't worry, it's nothing...," he calms down a little more, heading over to the computer panel I stand behind.

He begins to type on the machine now, typing in several letters and numbers for the login. In his first attempt, he manages to get past the login screen, allowing us to gain access to the server. He leaves the computer screen at this time, walking over to the nearest chair and placing himself upon it. A sigh escapes his lips after sitting, his hands burying themselves into his face afterward.

"...chaos?" I try to approach him.

"...you have the codes to access everything else," he speaks. "Go right ahead, just...leave me alone for a little bit."

"...okay."

I do just as I'm told, returning to the central computer and inputting more passwords and ID number logins that come up. As I search through the database, I find Jr. beginning to approach me. He too shares the worried look on my face, it's obvious that he's hurting just looking at chaos like this.

"Is he going to be okay?" I ask in barely a whisper.

"...I hope so," Jr. whispers back. "To tell you the truth, I've never seen him like this, not ever. I've always known him to be a really easy-going guy, as if he never had any problems of his own, but..."

"I'm worried too," I admit. "He's acting pretty depressed. Do you think he's upset about what might have happened to the others?"

"It could be, but I don't think that's the case."

"You're right, it's not like him to get gloomy; in a situation like this, I know he would still think they're alive. If he knew for sure that one of us did cross-over, then..."

"Yeah, that's true. You don't think...?"

"No, they are alive, I know it."

"I know that, but there's something else I'm wondering about. How he accessed the database without a sweat. This computer system, along with the other electronic equipment the U-TIC Organization uses is made from Hyams Industries," Jr. points out.

"Hyams Industries, I've heard about them, weren't they Vector's main business rival before the Miltian Conflict?" I ask.

"Yeah, they were even started up at the same time too. During the Miltian Conflict, both of them took sides; Vector sided with the Galaxy Federation and the Miltian Government while Hyams sided with U-TIC. I've heard rumors that Hyams now makes stuff for anti-Federation forces, most of their products can be found in the black market. What I'm curious about is how chaos was able to log into their database, only the highest-level executives could have access to sophisticated systems like this. You don't think...?"

"No, chaos isn't like that at all," I tell Jr.

"...yeah, even though he's never said anything about his past, he's not the type to work for such a dark organization."

"Did you two find anything yet?" Citrine walks over to our terminal.

"Why are you getting all buddy-buddy with us all of a sudden?" Jr. sneers.

"Stop it," I order the two before they can start fighting again. "I just found something. You needed to access the database to find out where the Zohar is, right? Well I think I found it."

"All right, where is it?" Citrine asks.

I open the file for everyone to see now. chaos gets out of his chair now and walks over to the monitor at the point, the file opening to reveal another screen. The file is a document that lists several experiments with the Zohar, listing energy readings and UMN human transportation experiments. Nearly all of the experiments for transportation have made people disappear without a trace, while a tiny 1 who didn't disappear were left brain-dead. The energy listings have been listed as immeasurable each time after only a millisecond of starting up. I continue to search through the file and finally come to the end of the report.

"The Zohar is far too dangerous for any of us to comprehend," it reads. "Our technology is not advanced enough to control nor study it any further. We can now see why the team on Michtam abandoned their research twenty-four years ago. As a result of this danger, we must put the 'Omega Project' on hold. The prototype unit will be left in custody of the Ormus Sect while the production model's creation will be halted. We shall seal the Zohar in the thirteenth floor of this facility. This will be beneficial for us as well, as U-DO will not only act as a type of barrier to the Zohar, but it will also allow it to grow in time for the 'Zohar Project.' End of report."

"The thirteenth floor, huh?" Citrine repeats.

"Wait, so the Zohar was here the whole time!" Jr. exclaims. "And the Zohar Project, how did the U-TIC guys know about it? And U-DO, did they purposely want it to grow for it?"

"Does that mean the Galaxy Federation and the U-TIC Organization are really working together?" I wonder aloud. "No, Mommy wouldn't...!"

"Things are much more complicated than they seem," chaos speaks. "But MOMO, I doubt your mother would..."

"No, the only reason Mommy sent me here was to gain access to the computers so we can find out where the Zohar is!" I cry. "Why else did she keep me around for so long? She never cared about me, she would always... always look down on me. I always thought that if I kept trying to grow close to her, she would finally accept me as her daughter, but...!"

"MOMO, I...," Jr. tries to speak.

"...Rubedo, stay with the girl...," Citrine orders. "You, we're going to the thirteenth floor," she orders chaos.

"Take care of her, Jr.," chaos tells him.

The two of them leave now, my tears becoming even more rapid now. I found myself beginning to choke on my own cries, with tiny gasps trying to break free from them. My nose is running as well, my eyes burning as if they were on fire. My legs begin to weaken, my palms barely catching my fall.

"Why, Jr.?" I choke. "Why was Mommy always so distant from me? Why is that she could never bring herself to smile at me or give me words of praise? Why, Jr.? Why!"

"...MOMO, I'm afraid that not all parents feel good about their children," he begins to speak. "I know my father didn't. Yuriev..., he only saw me and the U.R.T.V.'s as nothing more than pawns. He never saw us as part of his family. We were never praised, we were never smiled at, he would always... He was just so distant, he was like a stranger to all of us. Yuriev never wanted us to act like people, he said it showed weakness. All of us learned to accept this, well almost everyone. Albedo, he was the only one brave enough to stand up to Yuriev back then...," Jr. admits, his eyes beginning to water. "He was the only one moral enough to know how we were being treated wasn't right. The rest of us were afraid to stand with him, and because of that... MOMO, even though your mother doesn't care about you, there are other people in your life that will; that's how it was for me. Don't you remember what Ziggy said? He said he loved you as if you were his own daughter, right? And the others, they all find you to be a good friend. And then I... I feel the same way MOMO, I care for you deeply...," he admits. "I really do."

"Jr...?"

My body begins to move again, falling forward until my arms wrap around his frame. My tears begin to find themselves on the shoulder of his jacket, my fingers tightening around the material. His own arms wrap around my waist too, his breath pressing against my brow. More and more the tears fall, but with each tear, I find his body growing warmer. Warm, so warm his body is. I want to stay here like this, I just want to keep crying, I just don't want him to let go. I care for you deeply too, Jr. I care for you so much that you can't even imagine, so please, stay with me, even if no one else will be by my side...

* * *

(Miang's POV) 

It's been nearly three hours since the operation began, only half an hour since I arrived on the surface of Old Miltia. The mass-produced units have secured the perimeter of Labyrinthos, though four of them have been destroyed in the process. During their last transmission, I learned that they are currently working their way inward. The stairway to the basement floors has been destroyed, so they have used an alternate route by traversing the sewers that traverse around it. Chief Inquisitor Margulis has begun to move as well, he's taken several men with him into the interior; I heard they're planning on taking a high-clearance elevator from the first floor to the basement floors. Even the Patriarch has begun to move now, I'm sure he's taken 'it' with him for this mission. It's only a matter of time before Mother and her friends find the location of the Zohar, we just need the codes the 100-Series has in her data banks to access U-TIC's highest security levels.

"Unit 00-00-00-00-0, do you read me?" I get a transmission.

"Yes, I read you, Agent Pale Horse," I answer. "What's your situation?"

"The 100-Series has located the whereabouts of the Zohar just moments ago," Citrine explains on the other line. "Surprisingly, it was here the entire time, on the thirteenth floor of Labyrinthos. It appears U-TIC deliberately kept it here so U-DO could grow in time for the Zohar Project."

"I see, I'm guessing that the researchers didn't have enough time to transport it fourteen years ago," I tell her. "We should have expected that it was still going to be there. In any case, continue as planned."

"...there's been a small error in our plan though," she informs me after a moment of hesitation.

"What is it?"

"The entire party has been separated, at the moment the only one with me is the boy known as 'chaos.'"

"As I said, continue as I planned," I repeat. "Chief Inquisitor Margulis is already within the interior and his Holiness is making his way here. As you've heard, reinforcements shall arrive shortly, so continue with the objective, over and out."

I end the transmission at this point. It shouldn't be long before we obtain the Zohar, but it's certainly strange that it was in Labyrinthos this entire time. I suppose it makes sense, U-DO escaped the Zohar on that fateful day fourteen years ago, taking over the bottom half of the basement floors of the building in a manner of hours. If I recall correctly, the U.R.T.V. forces were sent in later that day, and they obviously failed in their mission. Now that I know the location of the Zohar, I must inform his Holiness.

I begin to ready another transmission, but before I could do so, my sensors begin to read signs of life hiding from behind me. One, two, ...I count a total of fifteen individuals within the immediate vicinity. I pick up faint traces of plasma coming from each of them as well, they seemed to be armed with beam-type weapons. This is unexpected, I thought that we were the only ones here.

"...I know you're hiding there," I sigh. "Are you going to sit there all day or are you going to attack me?"

I turn around to find each of the individuals coming out from the rubble that's scattered throughout the area. As I had expected, each of them is armed with a beam-type weapon of some sort; three are equipped with beam rifles, two with beam swords, and the rest with beam pistols. All of these people wear gaudy clothing, none of them wearing a distinct pattern of uniform. They're all wearing baggy street clothes for the most part, are they some sort of rebel force that's been occupying Old Miltia all this time?

"So you must be the KOS-MOS unit we've heard about," one of the women in the group begins to speak.

This woman seems to be the leader of the bunch; the rest of the members seem to clear a path for her so that she may approach me. Her clothes are just as gaudy as the rest of these men; she wears a ragged, black tank top, along with a faded, green long coat which drags down to her ankles, along with a tattered scarf that wraps around the collar of her jacket. She wears a pair of leather gloves, but the glove on her right has the index and pinky fingers torn off. She wears baggy pants that have the same faded color and shade as her jacket, it's obvious that she hides a beam pistol in the back of the clothing. Her face is covered in soot, but I can still make out the color of her grayish-green eyes. Her mahogany hair however, is clean for the most part, the strands cut at her shoulders. Now that I think about it, this woman's face is outlined in my data banks, it's...

"My name is Meris Orthas," the woman speaks, "perhaps you've heard of me and my organization?"

"To be more specific, you are Meris Orthas the Second," I read from my data base. "Your great-grandmother, Meris Orthas the First was the founder of your organization, Scientia. Scientia is notorious of being the largest Anti-Federation organization in the universe. Your organization is responsible for pirating many Federation government ships and government officials. You're classified as the most dangerous terrorist organization in the Galaxy Federation."

"You're quite informed, KOS-MOS," the woman smirks.

"What is it you want from me?" I ask.

"The Zohar Project, what is it?" she tries to interrogate me. "We of Scientia would like to know what the Zohar is exactly and its effect on people. My great-grandmother witnessed what it was capable of firsthand, but she never knew what it was exactly. Tell me, KOS-MOS, tell me what you and the Galaxy Federation want with it and what it's capable of."

"And if I should refuse?"

"You're in no condition to," Meris snaps her fingers, each of her men pointing their beam weapons at me afterwards. "Our spies in Vector have informed us of your creation, along with your battle capabilities. Beam weapons are most effective against machines because it causes them to short circuit, and you're no exception to this rule."

"You've certainly done your homework, but there's much more to me than what was outlined in Vector's data bases," I inform her.

My right hand begins to rise now, my fingers unfurling from a fist and the back of my hand facing my enemies. A rush of warmth begins to burn within my arm now, the sensation transforming into a sphere-like purple orb in the palm of my hand. The orb grows quickly with time, my foes quickly notice this. Their fingers begin to pull on the triggers of their weapons now, but before anything can escape their guns, the erratic energy in my hand escapes. The fire that escapes from their weapons is unleashed now, but each shot is absorbed into the stream of aura that escaped from my palm. Each of them rolls to the side to evade the attack, giving me time to prepare my own attack.

I run to the enemy closest to me as he recovers from his roll. By the time his eyes meet with my own, my own fist has already launched forward. My knuckles meet with his abdomen in an instant, the back of my left hand striking the side of his face soon after. Two others begin firing at me after I attack their comrade, but I evade each blast by taking the man before me and pulling him into the line of fire. Each attack meets with either an arm or a leg, I make sure that none of them strike his back or head. I toss the man away the second they hold their fire, my hands collecting more forms of Ether into their palms.

"I have no intention of killing any of you," I inform them. "However, that doesn't mean I won't beat each and every one of you into the ground!"

Another barrage of fire is opened after my words, but this time I make no attempt to evade. I move my arms forward at this point, the energy within my palms forced forward and expanding in seconds. The barrier of Ether absorbs the attacks once again, returning to my palms afterward only to shoot out once again causing each of them to scatter again. I draw the pair of tonfa on my belt at this moment, my arms quickly spinning them afterward to block several more shots. The incoming fire stops shortly after, halted by either the attacks returning to their instigators or by the need to reload.

The ones armed with beam swords rush in at this moment, one flanking me from the right and the other to the left. Both try to swing their blades downward at the same time, but my arms quickly push out to the sides so that my weapons may block theirs. My left leg pushes to the side after, meeting with the chest of the one on my left, the tonfa on my right striking inward after, knocking my attacker in the side of the head. His ally with the same weapon tries for another slash with my back now turned to him, but my elbow pushes back in time so that my other weapon can block it once again. My body turns once again, my right arm swinging with it so that my tonfa can strike my enemy to the floor.

I turn back to the rest of the opposition only to find one of my weapons being shot out of my hand. Another shot catches its twin, knocking it in the same direction. I look to the source of the shots to find the leader of these men now charging at me with her gun aimed forward. Two more trigger squeezes follow, but I move to the side to dodge each one. Her remaining conscious comrades begin to shoot as well, forcing me to remain on the defense. The blasts continue to fire at a rapid rate, my legs constantly trudging back and forth to evade each shot. This constant pace of moving back and forth is making it impossible for me to charge my Ether, there's no way I can keep dodging these attacks forever. I haven't been conditioned to use tertiary weapons like the mass-produced units yet, but there is that one weapon. It still hasn't been tested yet, but...

The barrage has become too rapid now, there's no way I can dodge the next shots. I begin to move my arm now, quickly swinging it inward from the side. A beam of light begins to form where my arm had swung, the beam solidifying soon after into the shape of a blade. I quickly take the hilt of the sword at this point and begin swinging again, striking at the incoming fire. The weapon in my hand begins to clash with the individual shots, the flat side of the blade deflecting each blast away. After parrying several hails of fire, I begin to move forward, charging toward the opposition, continuing to deflect each of their attacks.

Two of the Scientia soldiers try to block my path, but I easily cut through their weapons with my sword, slashing at their arms in the process with an under-handed strike, forcing them to drop their weapons. More try to shield my path again, mimicking the actions of their predecessors. It is of no use however, as the result is the same as before. The only one that remains now is the leader who fires her pistol at the same time she draws an beam knife. The firearm loses all of its ammunition in seconds, its owner quickly tossing it aside as she charges in with the energy blade. She screams as she runs toward me, the knife held close to her body as she charges. I bring my arm upward and prepare for a downward strike, only to bring the weapon down sooner as I find the knife suddenly hurled at me. I deflect the knife in the same way as the bullets, but I quickly realize that was only a decoy attack. A beam sword now appears in her hands, the blade already swinging forward from the side. I quickly notice this, jumping backward after to avoid the initial swing. She tries to go for a lunge soon after with my feet still not touching the floor, I can't avoid this one either. My blade swings outward as hers launches forward, the blades coming in contact for only a mere second; it is obvious that this battle is over.

She stands paralyzed now as the edge of my weapon barely touching her throat, the energy in her weapon no longer taking shape. She drops down to her knees after, her entire body still frozen from the shock of my sword absorbing the energy from hers. I keep my blade resting against her neck, all of her men that are still conscious can do nothing but watch as their lady kneels before me. This battle is over, I have no intention to continue it any further.

"What was that...?" are the only words that can escape Meris's lips.

"The sharpness of this sword is determined by the user's Ether level," I explain. "Not only that, it can also absorb the energy of beam-type weapons, the amount it can absorb is also reliant on the user's Ether level."

"Even if that is true, the blueprints that were given to us by our spies said that your Ether level is only three times stronger than a human being's!" she growls.

"Correction, it was only three times stronger than a human being's," I explain. "To put it simply, my Ether level is infinite; this Ether Edge weapon is capable of absorbing anything else your current equipment can strike me with as long as it's my hands. Don't even try and grasp the blade," I read past my enemy's next action. "Just wrapping your fingers around it will have them cut off, faster than how a hot knife goes through butter. I have other matters to attend to now, so if you'll excuse me."

I jump into the atmosphere afterward, my feet landing on the rooftop of one of the still standing buildings. I leap to the roof close to it and the one after, trudging across the roofs so that I can make my escape. So that was Meris Orthas the Second, I can't say that I am impressed with her skills, even without my sensors I'm sure I could have spotted her. Still, I have no intention of killing her or any of her men. She still has a role that she must fulfill after all. Regardless of that role or not, I truly did have no intention of killing any of them, I've already gotten others involved who did not need to be not too long ago.

Elly, Mother, do you hate me for all I've done so far? Elly, I'm sure you must hate me by now by forcing you to be here. If I did not have my debt to 'them,' I would leave you and all of your friends out of this. I'm sorry, my darling, I'm sorry, Mother, but... This is the way things must be, not only because of my debt, but for the sake of the universe as well...

* * *

(Shion's POV) 

It doesn't matter who you are, everyone will always be by your side. Just what did Elly mean when she said that. And Jin, he basically said the same thing. What is it that's worrying the two of them so much? Could it have had to do with that talk they had this morning in the dining area that made Elly storm out? 'The truth,' what did Jin mean by that in the Kukai Foundation's meeting room earlier?

"Miang?" my lover suddenly stops in her tracks once again.

"Elly, is something wrong?" I ask her.

"...I thought I just heard Miang's voice just now," she explains.

"It looks like we've reached the end," Jin informs us.

We look to his direction now and find a pair of large metallic doors in the distance. The doors look rather rustic, their perimeters almost absorbed into the magenta atmosphere. The three of us run to the giant doors at this point, the atmosphere pulling them apart as we draw closer. In seconds we find ourselves running through them only to end up in a room filled with darkness. Before any of us can even turn around to go back out, the doors shut on us, leaving us in the black room.

"What is this?" I ask the others.

"Shion, Miss Elly, stay close," Jin orders.

Something begins to creep against my hand at this point, my body jumping as this sudden touch falls continues to glide against it. The creeping stops soon after, replaced by the feeling of something curling against my fingers. I realize now it is only Elly's hand holding my own, along with her head now resting on my shoulder. I breathe a sigh of relief upon realizing this, my fingers closing on her own. We each begin to walk forward now, our steps really slow and short. The only sound we hear in this room is the sound of our own breathing. The sound of metal barely enters my ear soon, but then I realize it's only Jin drawing his sword.

At this very moment, the color of white suddenly flashes over our eyes, along with a strong gust of wind that blows into our direction, nearly knocking us to the floor. My hold on Elly's hand quickly tightens, her other arm quickly wrapping around me in the process. The gust begins to die now and the flash begins to dim. The entire room is illuminated now and we now see the entire room. We find ourselves standing on a broad, metallic walkway, the other side of the railing showing us the floor below us. A forklift zooms after on the floor below us, the vehicle sitting the maximum occupancy of two people. I look further down to find several cranes moving as well, along with an observation area that's sealed in glass. There are several individuals inside the area, but I can't make out any of their faces.

"What is this place?" Elly asks as she observes the area around her.

"Wait a minute," my brother suddenly speaks, "this is... It can't be!"

"Jin...?"

"No, that's impossible, this can't...!"

The sound of humming begins to echo in our ears; though it is faint, we quickly notice that it's coming from the same floor as us but at the end of the walkway. A man stands there, a pencil in one hand and a clipboard in the other. He begins to tap the writing utensil against the board, the tapping matching the rhythm of his tune. Who is this man exactly, and why...?

"Hey Dad!" another voice echoes from behind us.

We each turn around now only to find a shock. The one who called the man, it's none other than Jin! My brother, there's two of them, but why? No, this one's a lot younger, he looks about the age of thirteen or fourteen. Then the woman that walks beside him, she's obviously older than him, and... Wait, if this is Jin, then the man he called out to and the woman walking her are...

"Hello, honey," the woman greets him.

"Darling, Jin, what are you doing here?"

"You said we could visit you today, right, Dad?" the younger version of my brother says. "You said that it'd be okay if we watched today's experiment, isn't that right, Mom?"

"Mom...," their appearances cause something to stir within me. "Dad...?"

"Mom? Dad?" the titles baffle my angel. "Shion, Jin, what...?"

"No, this can't be...," my brother says in disbelief. "I can't be seeing this, not again. Mother, get out of here while you still can!" he cries to our parents. "Father, you can't start the test, you just can't! Please Father...," he begins to sulk into the floor. "Please, listen to me..."

"Jin, are you okay?" Elly asks, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Shion, what's wrong with...? Shion?"

"My parents...," I still find myself paralyzed by their appearance, "why are they here, what...?"

"You came at just the right time," our father tells the younger version of my brother and our mother, "the test is just about to begin."

"Dad, what are you up to?" I barely voice my question. "Mom, why...? Jin... what's going on here? Jin? Jin!"

"No, don't start the test!" my brother screams again. "Mother! Father!"

My brother gets off the floor instantaneously at this moment, running to our father. To all of our surprise, Jin's hand passes through his figure. The initial passing causes him to back away for a moment, but he tries again after only to get the same result. He attempts to reach him again and again, each failed endeavor resulting in a tear rolling down his face.

A whistle begins to blow now and the entire area begins to shake shortly. I look onto the floor below us to find the ground pulling apart, along with a gold colored object rising from the growing gap. The cross-like shape, the gem-like device, it's obvious what this object is, it's none other than the Zohar. But what's the Zohar doing here, and how does my father know about it? He never mentioned anything like this to me when I was growing up.

"This is it, son," my father tells the younger image of Jin. "This is the key to Mankind's future. This is the Zohar."

"Father, please...!"

"Is everyone ready? Then start up the experiment."

The men in the observation area begin to work on the control panel as everyone else in the vicinity turns to the Zohar. A light begins to barely emit from the relic, at first it is only a small reflection of light, but that reflection grows brighter and brights. The gem-like device on the Zohar shines as well, its light glowing stronger than the rest. Elly and I can do nothing but stare in awe as it glows, but before we know it, that glow is soon replaced by a flashing red light that flashes in the entire area along with the sound of a horn.

"What the, what's happening!" my father suddenly panics.

"Sir, something's wrong with the control panel," one of the men in the observation area reports. "The power output is gradually increasing, there's no way I can stop it. We've already tried cutting off the electronic link to the Zohar and shutting down the machine manually, but..."

The entire vicinity begins to shake at this moment, the alarm now taking precedence over the sound of everyone's panicking voices. The people in the vicinity begin to run, each of them passing through our forms as if we were specters. Pipes and other pieces of the ceiling begin to fall now, some striking fleeing workers and other pieces of machinery. My parents and the younger version of Jin however, stand in shock as they continue to stare at the Zohar.

"Why, what could have happened that could've caused this!" my father asks, slamming his palms onto the railing of the walkway.

"Honey, we have to get out of here!" my mother orders him.

"Chief Uzuki, come on!" a worker on a motorized cart drives up to my family.

"Jin, you first," my father orders.

"No, Father!" Jin screams. "Don't put me there. Mother, sit Mother there, please! Please, Father...!"

"All right...," the younger version of my brother says uneasily as he takes the last seat on the vehicle.

"Come on, we'll ride on the back," my father tells our mother.

"NO!"

The cart begins to drive off now, quickly whisking all of them away. Jin immediately chases after the machine, running along side it for the first few seconds, only to quickly fall behind. Elly and I naturally try to follow, but neither of us are fast enough to catch up with my brother. The cart in front of us begins jump upward now, jumping after hitting a piece of debris. More and more debris begins to fall, some on my brother and self, but the debris passes through us much like the people earlier. I look above and find a pipe falling downward, but this lead device is not falling toward me, it's falling for the cart in front of us. The pipe has contact with the skull of one person on the machine, knocking them off the machine in the process. My eyes can't help but widen the moment I realize who it had struck, my brother screaming again after the moment of impact.

"MOM!" the younger version of my brother screams.

"MOTHER!" Jin screams as well.

He finally catches up to her, his body diving forward in an attempt to catch her, only to have her form pass through him like all the others. The very image causes something else to stir within me, my mind remembering that day fourteen years ago. The tearing of flash and bone, the screams for help, all of it, remembered again after seeing what happened to my mother. The very image paralyzes me once again, my palms forcing themselves into the ears in an attempt to block out the cries for help that were never answered that day, my eyes shutting so that I may shield myself away from those visions. It is no good however, for I still remember, that nightmare only growing worse with what I had just seen.

"Stop the cart!" my father orders the driver. "Stop it!"

"I'm sorry, Chief, but...!"

"Dammit, that's an order!"

"Chief, we can't afford to...!"

"Then I'll...!" my father tries to jump off the vehicle.

"Chief, don't!" several other workers hold him back.

"MOM!" my brother screams again.

Another flash of light emits in my eyes for a quick second, and when the flash is gone, we find ourselves in another place. We appear to be in some sort of hospital room, I can tell by the gray walls and the nearly sterile environment. I turn to the end of the room to find two individuals lined up against a bed with a person lying on it. I quickly recognize each of them, it's my family. The younger version of my brother is lying against the bed, his face pressed against the covers as sobs escape his lips. My father stands next to him, his face scrunched and tears barely escaping his eyes.

"Now where are we?" Elly asks the two of us.

"...this is where our mother was first treated," Jin explains, wiping away the tears traveling down his face.

"What, but I don't remember any of this," I tell him.

"...this was about a year before you were born," my brother explains. "Somehow..., Mother survived the Zohar going berserk, she was the first and only person to survive an accident such as that. However, her memory was never the same... What happened that day, that was the reason why she had random occurrences of amnesia. ...we've seen enough," my brother quickly places his hand on my shoulder. "Let's get out of here!"

"But Jin...!"

"Chief Uzuki, I presume?" a man I had not expected to see suddenly enters through the door.

What's he doing here, and why does he look exactly the same way he did when...? The ghostly white hair, the bright red eyes, and the very pale skin, all of these feature show no difference from how he looks in the present. He even wears the same black suit, all of his mannerisms seem to be the same as well. Just what is Sir Wilhelm doing here?

"Sir Wilhelm, what are you doing here?" my father asks.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your wife, and what happened during the Zohar experiment," Sir Wilhelm apologizes.

"Sorry...?" the younger version of my brother begins to peel away from our mother's bedside. "Sorry! What do you mean 'you're sorry!' It's because of those experiments that you're company's conducting that my mom ended up like this, you son of a bitch! I swear I'll...!"

"Jin, stop it!" my father orders. "Go wait outside."

"But Dad...!"

"Go!"

The younger version of Jin begins to walk out of the room, his hands forced into his pockets and his feet kicking with every step. He passes through us like the people in the last scene, slamming the door on his way out. The door barely opens again soon after, my brother's eye staring in from the other side.

"Shion, we've seen enough," the older version of Jin tells me, his hand quickly grabbing my wrist. "Let's get out of here."

"Stop it, Jin!" I free myself from his grasp. "Just why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Is it because of what you saw happened to Mom? I'm just as upset as you are about all of this, maybe more so because Dad never explained any of this to me before he died! So just why...!"

My brother quickly interrupts me before I can talk further, his arms suddenly wrapping around my body and his cheek rubbing against mine. I find my heart beginning to beat rapidly at this moment, my breath short, and my body paralyzed. This is the first time my brother has hugged me in such a long time, but why now? Why would he...?

"No matter what happens, you'll always be my sister," he suddenly speaks. "Do you understand me, Shion? You're my little sister, nothing more, nothing less."

"Jin, why are you saying these things all of a sudden?" I ask. "Just what is...?"

"...cover your ears, Shion," my lover begs. "Please, be deaf to the voices around you. Don't listen to a single word they say."

"Elly, you too?" I find myself even more puzzled. "Elly, Jin, just what is wrong with both of...?"

"Your wife is a very special woman," Sir Wilhelm begins to speak above the rest of our voices.

"Yes, I know," my father says, his finger tenderly running down her bedsheets. "She's done so much for Jin and I."

"Not just that, you know what she's capable of," Sir Wilhelm continues. "There are barely anymore of her kind."

"Anymore of her kind?" I begin to push myself away from my brother now. "What does he...?"

"Close your ears!" Elly suddenly wraps her arms around me now. "Don't listen to them, Shion. Pay them no mind, turn your attention elsewhere, please!"

"...I know," my father nods. "There are barely any people left who are not descended from genetic engineering whatsoever, she is one of those very few. Her surviving the Zohar accident is enough evidence to warrant that. The doctors say her memory isn't going to be the same as it used to be, but..."

"I'm afraid she is of no more use to us then," Sir Wilhelm speaks. "Such a pity, I always thought she would be the 'Mother of Destiny.' No, maybe not, she did give birth to your son after all."

"...then what do you propose we do for the KOS-MOS Project?" my father asks. "The Zohar Project is reliant on the completion of that and the Omega Project."

"Your wife still has use, Mr. Uzuki," Sir Wilhelm answers. "Or rather, her DNA and womb still has some use."

"Wait, you don't mean...!"

"We shall clone her."

I find my entire body growing even more frozen before, even my lungs stop taking in air. The atmosphere and all of its surroundings begin to swirl around me, spinning so quickly that until they disappear. Everything is gone, everything except the words Sir Wilhelm had just said. The words "we shall clone her," each of them feel like a dagger piercing into my heart. They repeat in my ears as well, restarting the vocabulary stabbings once more.

"Clone her? But sir...!"

"It is vital to our project, is it not?" Sir Wilhelm asks.

"...yes sir..."

"Besides, you always said you wanted another child, a daughter to be exact. Didn't you say that you and your wife already had a named picked out as well for her? 'Shion,' wasn't it?"

The sound of name sends another jolt surging throughout my body. My eyes are opened wider than ever before, and my entire body trembling. My entire body begins to grow limp, my knees weakening enough that I would fall to the floor if I was not held by the one in front of me. I feel dizzy once again, the air I breathe not doing anything to fulfill the need for oxygen in my lungs. The truth, I never knew it could hurt so much, and my name, never did I once think of it as some sort of label, but...

"I... I'm a clone...?" the words barely escape my lips. "My birth, it was just so that I could be used to... All this time, I..."

"Shion, stop it!" my lover's grasp tightens. "Don't say such a thing!"

"So I was just born to be used by him, isn't it? Even my own father knew about it, he was responsible for my creation. Him and Sir Wilhelm, they..."

"That's not true, Shion!" Jin cries. "You weren't born to simply fulfill what they have planned, you were...!"

"...my father, he was never my real father... My mother..., she was the original me, the current me is only a copy... My brother..., he's not my real brother... My family, my friends, none of them can truly be mine, they're..."

"Please, don't say anymore, Shion!" my lover interrupts, her own tears running down her face. "You have me! I don't care what Wilhelm or anyone else says, the fact of the matter is you are you and I'm here by your side no matter what! I love you for who you are, Shion Uzuki, not what you are. I didn't fall in love with your mother, I fell in love with you! So please, Shion, pay them no mind, because I...!"

Everything begins to disappear from me at this moment. Elly's hold around me, the images of the hospital room, the voices of everyone around me, everything, gone. Everything is nothing but black now, everything that I thought was real was nothing more than a fabrication created by him. My life, what have I been doing with it all this time? Is my purpose only to be a replacement for the one I was cloned from? What was it Sir Wilhelm wanted me to do? What is it that I'm supposed to do, what is my purpose? Everything, everything that I've been doing was done according to him, wasn't it? I... I'm a puppet, ever since I was born, I've been dancing with the strings of Fate. My "father" and "mother"'s deaths, Kevin dying, Miang being destroyed and resurrected, Elly's creation, all of it was orchestrated as a show for him. My life has just been a game in the possession of another, I am just another pawn. I am... nothing...

* * *

(Ziggy's POV) 

Darkness, nothing but the color of black. Is this what death is supposed to be? For nearly a century, this is what I've been searching for, but after everything that has happened recently, I no longer want this. I try to move, but my body doesn't react. Move, I want to move, I want to open my eyes, I want to listen to world around me. This isn't what I want, I don't want to be here.

"Dad...," I hear a voice faintly calling for me.

The dark hue before my eyes begins to grow lighter now, colors of other shades beginning to appear before my eyes along with figures and forms beginning to take shape. A table is in front of me, along with a lamp and other forms of furniture in the background. There is another figure that stands before me, but I can hardly make it out at first, but then it becomes clear.

"Dad," the figure calls again.

"What, Joaquin?" I find my son standing before me. "What is it?"

"You really are my dad now!" he exclaims, cheerfully.

I find myself speechless after his last statement. Proud, is this how it feels to be part of a real family?

"What's wrong?" I turn around to find my wife standing behind me.

"...It's just that... I always thought of myself with little emotion, but... maybe I was allowing myself to be heartless," I explain.

"That's not true," Sharon assures me, her arms delicately wrapping around my shoulders. "Both you and my late husband were hurt because your hearts were too kind. Because there are too many bad things in this world."

The entire scenery begins to meld together once again, coalescing into darkness for a mere second, only to return to bring me into a different scene. I find myself standing in a place I had never wanted to set foot again, a place I had dreamt of everyday for the last century, a place I so desperately tried to forget.

"...So this is the Zohar," I find my nemesis standing before the giant gold relic. "It's beautiful... What an appropriate place to achieve my objective! Take heed, souls that are imprisoned in my mind! You should see this! Oh, don't be so solemn... we're about to become an existence you can't even imagine! ...My preparations are complete! Look, oh great Lord! Oh great U-DO! Grant me your power by the terms of our contract!"

I frantically try to charge toward my enemy at this point, my body somehow being pressed back by an invisible barrier. My fist begins to strike against this unseen wall, attempting to reach to my wife and son on the other side. Neither of them react to my pleas however, the two of them kneeling before the relic locked in prayer.

"Sharon!" I scream. "Can you hear me? Dammit! ...Sharon! Listen to me, Sharon!"

"'And the bowl was poured on the great river, Euphrates,'" Voyager chants, "'and its water has dried up, so that way of the kings from the east might be prepared.' ...Are you ready to accept the way of God?" he asks my wife.

"In exchange for our lives...is it true you'll bring peace to the people we love?" she asks.

"I guarantee it..."

"Sharon!" I bring my fist against the impassable barrier once again. "He's manipulating you! This is one of Voyager's mind hacks...!"

"Mom," Joaquin turns to his mother, "now we can be with Dad forever, right...?"

"Yes, we really can...," she smiles, "we'll never lose him again..."

"I'm happy...," the boy returns the gesture. "Mom, I'm really happy..."

"Joaquin!" I scream again. "Save Sharon! Sharon! Do you want Joaquin to die! That dream, it's a lie! You can't be happy that way!"

"Then let's go...," my nemesis tells them.

"Now we'll never mourn again..."

"VOYAGER!" I scream.

I find myself lying against a metallic surface now, my vision turned to an infinite darkness. The sound of computers tapping and clicking begins to echo in my ears, but there are no signs of human life. I try to get up now, but I find myself unable to move. I look to my body to find it strapped to the metallic surface. I try to force myself out of the restraints, but I find myself unable to do so.

"Hello, Jan," the voice of my nemesis enters my ear.

"Voyager!"

The face of my nemesis begins to leer at me from an upside-down angle, his smirk as sinister as ever. Again I try to free myself from my restraints, using more effort than ever before to escape. A fit of laughter escapes his lips as he watches me struggle, his taunting only causing me to try harder.

"Is this how you react to seeing an old friend?" he provokes further. "And just when we finally got the chance to talk one-on-one again. It's a little bit like old times, don't you think?"

"Shut up, you're no friend of mine!" I spit.

"Oh, and those people you've been hanging around with are? I can't believe you replaced me so easily."

"My hatred for you has yet to be replaced!"

"Still hung up on the past, I see," he sighs. "What happened to that notion you told that U.R.T.V. not too long ago? You know, the one about thinking only about numbers and battle strategy."

"Bastard!" I curse. "You'll pay for what you did to Sharon and Joaquin!"

"It's just so fun to taunt you, Jan, just like a little child. But it's not fun to keep provoking like this. No, not when there's another that can bring out the worst in you," that sinister smirk stretches.

"Don't you dare do anything to MOMO!" I yell. "I swear, Elrich, if you or any of your comrades even touch a hair on her head, I'll...!"

"Who said any of us will harm her when you'll be the one to do it instead."

"What do you...!"

Before I can say anything further, I find my entire body beginning to burn. The mechanical components in my body begin to clatter, my entire self jumping upward as far as the restraints can let me. I begin to scream from the shock that travels throughout my entire system, the systems specifications that are often seen in my eyes turning into static. Though I cannot see what is being done to me, I can still feel every part of my being burning from the electricity surging through me. More and more I feel myself being torched from the inside, my entire body becoming stiff and unmoving.

Images from the past begin to play though my eyes once again. I see my parents, their faces as clear as day for the first time I can remember. My father, he hands me his beret, placing it on my tiny head. Then I see Sharon and Joaquin, both of them smiling at me. I reach for them, the three of us walking hand-in-hand into the sunset. And then I see MOMO, her arms wrapped around me with a gentle smile on her face. My hand begins to run down her pink strands of hair, straightening the silk-like locks. I find myself smiling for a moment, but that smile soon melts away.

I see nothing, I hear nothing, I feel nothing. I... I am...

"Awaken, Ziggurat 8," a voice orders me. "Awaken and destroy."

"Yes sir," I find myself obligated to obey.

* * *

XenoMark's Note: That was definitely tough to write. Is it hard to believe that Shion is a clone of her mother? I don't really think so, there's a few theories circulating around the internet about it. As for the 'Mother of Destiny,' I'm afraid it might be a bit longer before I truly reveal what that is since I don't want to give up all my answers right away. As for Citrine leaving MOMO and Jr. alone, I know it seems out of character for her, but there's still parts of her past I haven't explained and revealed yet. And chaos, we'll definitely learn more about him soon, as well as why he allowed Citrine to contact Miang. Anyways, review if you like, but please don't flame me. In the next chapter, the party finally comes across the Zohar, but will everyone be mentally prepared for it, especially when one of their own turns on them. Hope you all look forward to it, see ya! 


	10. Purpose

XenoMark's Note: I'm really sorry for the delay in updating, work and school have been keeping me busy, not to mention I've been sick for quite a while. Well now that the semester's over (and the new one just beginning), I've had some time to work on this fic. Anyways, in this chapter we get a bit more history on Jr. and Citrine, along with the party finally finding the Zohar. This chapter is mostly action-packed after going through the U.R.T.V.'s' past, so please be patient. Also, a special character finally makes her appearance, but you'll have to wait until the end of the chapter to find out who that special character is. Not sure what else to say, so let's get back to the story.

* * *

Chapter 10: Purpose

(Jr.'s POV)

Labyrinthos, the source of all my misery, I thought I could run away from it, but somehow it dragged me back in. Yuriev, I should've known he'd have some sort trick of his sleeve to come back like that. After what happened fourteen years ago, I thought it was over, it was all done with after what Gaignun and I did. All that pain and heartache, I never thought I would have to feel what I did that day again, but now that I'm back here, I can't help but remember.

It was the two days after Gaignun and I escaped Labyrinthos, the two of us were reported to be the only survivors of our last mission. Because of the failure of the mission, civilians of Old Miltia were ordered to evacuate the planet, but the process was slow, it would take them two full days in order to evacuate everyone. During this time, the other U.R.T.V.'s had been mobilized to try and eradicate U-DO along with the Miltian Special Forces, and among those forces, were chaos and Canaan. During the battles, Gaignun and I were recovering in the U.R.T.V. institute after the failed mission. I remember I was in my barracks during that time, my thoughts replaying the events that had occurred two days prior.

"Rubedo?" a knock fell on my door early that morning.

"Yeah," I called to the person on the other side. "Come in, Nigredo."

Gaignun's wounds weren't as serious as I thought they were that day, he only needed a day's worth of nanotherapy in order to recover. The therapy couldn't cure all our wounds though, I knew when I looked in Gaignun's eyes that he still felt guilty for abandoning Albedo. It just wasn't fair; the only one who was brave enough to stand up to Yuriev in the past, the only one to stand up for what was right, had died, and the two of us, the cowards who didn't do anything, had lived.

"How long have the others been mobilized?" Gaignun asked as he took a seat on the bed next to mine.

"Six hours," I replied.

"I see..."

Silence fell between us quickly afterwards. We both knew that the remaining U.R.T.V. forces weren't enough to stop U-DO, that they were only going to be used as decoys as the civilians escaped. It was all my fault why Old Miltia was destroyed, if I hadn't broken the link back then, if I had risked all our lives in order to contain U-DO, then maybe none of this would be happening in the present. Yuriev would have probably died in time with no U.R.T.V. bodies left to take over, Albedo wouldn't have gone crazy, Citrine wouldn't have become a Testament, and the people in the Foundation wouldn't have been taken hostage. It really is all my fault.

"...Rubedo, let's get out of here," Gaignun suddenly spoke.

"What?"

"I said let's get out of here," Gaignun repeated himself.

"Wait, get out of here? What are you talking about?" I didn't understand what he was talking about at the time.

"Come on, Rubedo, if we stay here, we're gonna die," Gaignun explained. "Think of it, Yuriev doesn't care about us at all, he'll just send us out there eventually where we'll definitely be killed."

"That's something Albedo would say," I remarked. "It shouldn't matter, we deserve to die anyway."

"And just why is that!" Gaignun exploded.

"Don't the deaths of Albedo and Citrine mean anything to you!" I snapped back. "It's because of us that they're dead! The two of us ran when they needed us the most, and because we let them down, we don't deserve to live."

"That's a lie, Rubedo, and you know it! Albedo knew that we were all going to die eventually, but he always dreamed about finding his own place in the world. He even stood up to Yuriev about his beliefs and staying friends with us even though we didn't! I know he wanted all of us to do the same, so I say why not? Why should we fight for a man who doesn't care about our well-being, why should we risk our lives when we haven't truly lived yet? Why Rubedo? Why should we fight?"

"Because we're not worthy of living!" I answered hotly. "Because we'll only fail those we cared about time and time again, so it'd be better if we didn't care at all!"

"Do you really believe that, Rubedo?" Gaignun began to soften his tone. "Do you believe it'd be better if Sakura didn't feel the way she does about you?"

Those very words were a swift blow to me, a quick strike to my heart. Sakura Mizrahi, the only person that I felt truly mattered to me back then. It was at that very moment that I realized how much she had changed me, from being a very objective person into an emotional young man. I had no idea what emotions or feelings would be if it weren't for her, and not having her care about me anymore, I would feel... sad.

"...you're right, Nigredo," I said after a moment of taking his words to heart. "I don't think it'd be fair to Sakura if I stayed here. Let's get out of here," I agreed with absolute resolution. "We won't be used by anyone ever again."

"How touching," a familiar hoarse voice spoke soon. "Am I supposed to be touched that my little creations have decided to finally leave the nest?"

"Yuriev!" the two of us quickly recognized the man now standing in the entrance to my barracks.

"Any parent would be glad when their child decides to finally think for themselves and express their own independence," our "father" continued as he walked forward, his hands slipped into his pockets. "To raise one and mold them into their own existence, that is the purpose of being a family, but then again, we are no ordinary family, are we?" he stopped before us, revealing his teeth with a grin.

"What are you trying to say?" Gaignun asked, puzzled by his words.

"You belong to me," he simply answered, "you will always belong to me."

"Belong to you?" his words made no sense in my ears either.

"Yes. Who was it that supplied you with the genes required for your existence? Me. Who was it that raised you throughout your entire life thus far? Me. Who was it that trained you, who formed you into the young men you are today? Me. Everything points to me, Rubedo, Nigredo, and thus, your entire existence is centered on myself. If I am the center, then everything will crumble apart without me. I decide how you live your lives," he began to raise his voice. "I decide who you will be. I decide where you will go. I decide everything. Without me, you would cease to exist as you are now, I am your everything, I am the center of your existence, I AM YOUR GOD!"

The madness inside him was as strong as ever as he spoke; the fire in his eyes, the wind behind his breath, the earth trembling at his feet, it felt as if the entire world was crumbling down on us. This is how it felt whenever we tried to stand up against him in the past, how everything seemed to fall apart with just his very presence. How was it possible to fight a world that was crumbling before you? For the longest time I did not know how Albedo was able to challenge such a thing, but during that moment, I finally understood how.

"God?" I asked, his definition no longer having any meaning in my mind. "Who made you God?"

"What!"

"It's true that you created us with your own genes, it's true that you raised us, but it wasn't you who turned us into who we are today!" I yelled, opposing our "father" for the first time in my life. "Each of us became who we are now because of our own experiences! If it were up to you, we would have been nothing more than emotionless beings, nothing but killing machines who blindly follow orders, not even caring what the consequences were. We discovered who we truly were however, realizing the truth with every moment we spent together with one another. You say you're the center of our existence, but the truth is all you've tried to do is manipulate our own! We won't let you do that ever again, do you hear me, Yuriev! We're through with doing what you want!"

"You dare speak that way to me!"

My body began to fall to the floor immediately after, my right cheek throbbing after. Before I could recover from the blow however, I found another jolt of pain being exerted into me as the feeling of hardened leather met with my stomach. The edge of his shoe struck me two more times, a warm rush of fluid crawling further and further up my throat with each strike. I tried to prepare myself for a the impact of a third kick by curling my body inward, but the attack never came.

Gaignun had managed to wrap his arms around Yuriev's neck, choking him as he tried to pull him to the floor at the same time. Our father slowly started to succumb to Gaignun's weight as he hung onto him, desperately trying to reach behind him to tear him away. It looked like Gaignun had the upper hand at first, but before Yuriev could fall, he quickly backed into the nearest wall, ramming Gaignun's back into it. The first push quickly loosened Gaignun's grip, the second causing him to fall.

"How dare you both defy me!" Yuriev spat between his breaths. "To defy your creator is the equivalent of death, and for doing so, I'll gladly bring each of you to the other side."

He began to reach into his pocket at this time, revealing a small handgun in a manner of seconds. The barrel began to point itself at Gaignun now, Yuriev's thumb beginning to pull back on the weapon's hammer. My body quickly shot up at this moment, my legs moving me toward our creator in a second. Out of instinct I dove forward, my entire body meeting with his right arm and causing the gun to fall out of his hand and sliding across the floor. The two of us met with the ground soon after, my hand already inching toward the gun. My finger began to touch the barrel, but before I could get a good grip, I found my entire body suddenly being pulled back. The top of my skull was the target this time, a pair of knuckles striking down on it in quick successions. I couldn't help but cry out in pain with every punch that met with my head, the strength to reach for the firearm waning with every one. Everything around me was beginning to blur at that moment, the scenery becoming black. I swear I could see the Death standing in front of me at that moment, but then...

"Let him go!" the sound of a trigger being pulled back followed after hearing these words.

"Nigredo...?" I looked up to barely see his silhouette.

Though everything was still hazy, I was still able to see the trembling in Gaignun's knees and I could hear him inhaling sharply. The attacks had come to a halt now, I turned to my side to find Yuriev beginning to back away from me. Even without looking at him, I knew Yuriev was as collective as ever, I knew that he could also sense the fear that was going through Gaignun at that moment.

"What do you think you're doing, Nigredo?" our 'father' asked, as sure of himself as ever.

"G-get away from Rubedo," the younger U.R.T.V. ordered with a stutter.

"And just what do you intend to do about it?" Yuriev continued, stepping forward now.

"St-stay back!"

"Come Nigredo, we both know you don't have what it takes to pull the trigger. I know you're not the kind to betray one who has done so much for you. You're not the same as this weakling."

"Nigredo, don't listen to him!" I yelled.

"You are the last of my great children, Nigredo, I know you are destined for greatness. Why forsake your future for your older brother who lies on the floor, ready to pass over at any moment?"

"I told you to stay back!"

"Give me the gun, Nigredo. That gun is more than just a weapon, it is a key. That key will lead you to the future, if you give me that key, I can ensure that your future will be great, so..."

Not another word was spoken after that sentence; the sound of a bang and a ping were the only things that echoed after. The images before me began to focus once again with that pull of the trigger, the image of Yuriev bringing his hand toward his heart was as clear as day. After a few moments of standing, his hand began to fall from his chest, his palm covered with a large botch of blood. His knees were the first to meet with the ground, followed by his face and the rest of his body. With his body no longer blocking my view, I saw Gaignun standing there, his entire body locked with his arms still pointed forward and the gun in his hand still smoking.

"Nigredo..."

"You're right, that gun was a key to my future...," he began to speak to the newly-made corpse, "a future without you."

"Jr.! MOMO!" a voice interrupts my thoughts of the past.

"Allen? Canaan?" I look up to find them approaching me.

"Thank god you're all right," Allen breathes a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I can say the same about you guys," I tell them.

"Hey MOMO, are you okay?" Allen asks as she continues to cling on to me.

"I'm sorry," she begins to pull away now, rubbing away the now dry tears, "I was just a little upset, that's all."

"What about everyone else, where are they?" Allen questions.

"Citrine and chaos went ahead," I answer, "but I don't know what happened to the others."

"This facility...," Canaan begins, "do you think it will be sufficient enough to remove that burden I've been storing all this time?"

"The systems here are a bit dated, but I think it will work," Allen answers.

"Can you do it?" Canaan asks.

"I'm afraid I don't know how to use these facilities, so...,"

"I can do it," MOMO interrupts. "Just sit yourself over there," she points to a realian maintenance chair at one end of the room.

There she goes again, trying to pretend nothing happened. I hate it when I have to see her sad or distressed, but it hurts me even more to see her try and pretend that she's okay; I can't bear to see it, it reminds me too much of myself back then. Our reason for existing was to eradicate U-DO, that's what Citrine and Yuriev always said. I never wanted to believe that, but now I can't help but believe after  
everything that's happened lately. Hopefully all of it can end today, end when we retrieve the Zohar.

* * *

(Citrine's POV)

This boy that is with me now, who is he exactly? I heard from Voyager that he had taken out three mass-produced KOS-MOS units easily, without a single scratch. I also found it strange that he allowed me to contact the KOS-MOS archetype, in fact, he was the one who brought it up. I've never been informed of any reports of someone such as he, but could it be that he is the one that...?

"That was rather kind of you," the boy in question suddenly speaks.

"What?" his words stop me in my tracks.

"The way you allowed Jr. to stay back there with MOMO," he explains, "it was nice of you to let Jr. comfort her in a time of great distress."

"...Whatever," I try to brush off his words.

"You have a good heart, Citrine," chaos continues, "I just wish that you showed it to others more often. No, not just you, though he has been somewhat corrupted by your father's influence, your brother, Albedo, he also..."

"Don't ever mention that weakling's name to me!" I prevent the boy from saying anything further.

"Do you not think so?" he continues to pester me. "Even you must acknowledge that he has done much for you in your childhood; in times of distress..."

"That's not true! A U.R.T.V. is not supposed to feel anything! Our only reason for being is to eradicate U-DO, everything else is a trivial matter!"

"I'm sure you didn't think it was trivial back then."

"...just what do you know?"

Out of all the U.R.T.V.'s that were most defiant of our father back then, it had to be that weakling. Albedo, the one who strived to be human the most, I could never understand what was going inside his head, then and now. All I know is he tried to assimilate the others into his ways, namely the other Variants. It was that attitude that won the affection of the Kirschwassers; the ideas of pity and happiness, a U.R.T.V. needs none of these things, so why did he have to try and show me these things?

Nearly after every incident with Yuriev, I always found myself huddling in a corner crying. I never did dare show those tears to our father back then, I knew that if I were to show such a thing, he would only make things worse. He always enjoyed seeing others in grief, he found great joy in seeing others' anguish. I don't know why I always found myself crying after every evening I spent with him, I knew that a U.R.T.V. was not supposed to feel anything, and yet, no matter how many times I told myself that, I would still weep. It was all his fault, the way he always tried to act upon those emotions. Albedo, even though I wanted nothing to do with such feelings, he always stirred something within me. That optimistic view, his bright smile, everything about him made something burn within me. This hatred and contempt I have for him, these are the only emotions I admit to have felt back then. I can think of many instances when he tried to force his beliefs on me, but one particular incident stands out the most in my mind.

It was a few hours after another one of my private evenings with Yuriev, a few hours he had fallen asleep. I had snuck out of his bedroom after he had his way with me, my entire body shaking and searing from within. Liquid was once again escaping my eyes, but there was no way I could let him or anyone else see me like that. I didn't want to seem like a disgrace to the U.R.T.V. Forces, I didn't want to seem weak. I had ventured out into the park of the institute, huddling on one of the benches as my arms hugged my sides, as if they were taking the pain away. I thought no one was there at that late hour, but I was wrong. Of all the people to see me in such a vulnerable state, it was him.

"Why are you crying, Citrine?" were the first words that came out of his mouth.

Albedo, one could never know when that weakling was ever around; every time I was ever in any sort of pain, he was there to see it. With every incident, he always had that same look on his face, a look of concern. I could tell what he was trying to do, he was trying to take pity on me just so that I could acknowledge those emotions I tried so hard to suppress.

"...Get away from me, I have nothing to say to you!" I spat after he asked his question.

I turned away from him after my words, my arms clinging onto my sides even tighter. I felt his hand fall upon my shoulder a second later, but I quickly shoved it away by pulling my body to the side. My eyes had constricted after feeling the warmth of his palm, my body quickly getting off the bench so that I may move away from him. My body wouldn't let me travel far however, for the pain inside me had intensified with the first step I took, the pain quickly shooting through my entire body, forcing me to fall toward the ground.

"Citrine!" the weakling cried as he tried to rush to my aid.

"I told you to get away from me!" I repeated, tossing his hand aside once more.

I tried to walk once again, but I found myself falling again within two steps. My hands had barely caught myself from falling to the muddy soil, but it seemed like all the muscles in my arms were turning into fire. It hurt to simply crawl there, the inferno only intensifying with every second. I wasn't able to keep my place for long, and before I knew it, I found the rest of my body falling toward the bemired floor. I did not meet with the ground however, for my fall had been halted by the one I had tried to push away.

"Are you all right?" the pathetic excuse for a U.R.T.V. asked.

"I don't want your help!" I began to scream at him, my fist beginning to pound on his chest. "I don't need your help! Get off me! Let me go!"

My hands began to pound at his chest relentlessly at this point, my attacks doing nothing to loosen his hold on me. Every strike had little strength in them, and every one that followed only grew weaker. The blaze inside me had only worsened with every attempted blow, but now those flames had found themselves in my eyes. The flames from behind my eyelids had now manifested into liquid, my voice hiccupping and cracking with every cry of my attacks. Finally the fires of anger had died within my body, but they were as bright as ever in my eyes. The rivers of sadness were as rapid as ever, all of my strength now pouring out of them. My hands that were pounding against his chest were now clinging onto the fabric of his shirt, barely dragging them down as my body sank to the floor. Albedo wouldn't let me go as I sank, he only continued to hold me, falling with me.

"Why? Why am I crying?" I asked myself between my whimpers. "A U.R.T.V. isn't supposed to feel anything no matter what happens, and yet...!"

"Though we were made to be weapons, there is one thing we are first and foremost no matter what anyone says," Albedo began to answer. "Yes, we were created to destroy U-DO, yes we are not allowed to mingle with society, but does that not make us human, Citrine? All of us, every member of the U.R.T.V. Forces is supposed to be a clone of Dimitri Yuriev, who is also a human being. If we are copies of that man, then doesn't that also make us human?"

"But why me, Albedo? Why do I have to feel such things! The non-Variants, they're not as strong as us, they have no special qualities, but they feel nothing. So why do I, one of the Variants, one of the elite, have to such a weakness!"

"Because you're human, Citrine, human like everyone else," he answered, "and as a human, you can't help but feel. It isn't something to be ashamed of, it's something to cherish because it separates us from other living things. So please, Citrine, don't be so hard on yourself. Just let it all out, just this one time."

I could say no more words after that For the first time in my life, I had followed Albedo's advice. My arms began to wrap around his body and my face buried into his shoulder. The tears began to fall more freely now, my voice breaking and hiccupping as it did so. The boy only sat there with me, his own arms wrapped around me body and cheek nestling with my forehead. I had cried that entire evening, but not once during that time did Albedo move. During the entire time, he only sat there, holding me, taking away my tears until the rise of the morning sun.

When morning came and the tears had dried, I felt as if a great burden had been lifted from my shoulders. The pain from the events from last night had night gone away, I found myself with renewed strength, as if I could take on the entire world.

"Are you all right now?" he asked once I had stopped crying.

"...yeah."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," he smiled. "I guess I'll be heading back to my quarters then."

The boy had released his hold on me after that, a cold air suddenly swirling around my body the moment he began to turn away. I don't know what it was that caused this air, and I still don't know to this very day. The weather itself was not cold, nor was my body shivering. What I do know is that my body had grown warm again when I did what I did next.

"Albedo," my words stopped him in his tracks. "...thank you for what you did last night."

"It's no problem," he looked back with that smile still on his face.

"Um...," I found myself speechless afterwards, my foot digging into the ground as I thought of something else to say.

I don't know why I stopped him, all I know is that I wanted that warmth to remain. It was nothing like I had felt before; my stomach was in knots, my cheeks flushed, and my throat parched. Under any other circumstance none of these things would be welcome, but for some reason, at that moment, they never felt so relaxing. For the first and only time, I felt time and been frozen as I contemplated on what to say, but he was the first to speak, his words only adding more fervor to what I was already feeling.

"If you ever feel like crying again, I'll be here," Albedo told me.

"R...really?" I found myself stuttering.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Cry?" I scoffed. "A U.R.T.V. needs no such thing such as emotions."

"That's just like you," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Listen, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody about what happened last night," I suddenly found myself telling the boy.

"Now this is weird, are you actually asking me to do something for you?" he began to chuckle again.

"Just promise me, okay!" I began to yell.

"All right, all right, I promise," he smiled.

"...that weakling, Albedo," I begin to speak to chaos once again in the present, "he... didn't do a thing for me back then. One as pathetic as he had no place in the U.R.T.V. Forces whatsoever, and so, he has no significance to me whatsoever."

"...I see," the silver-hair boy nods. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"Whatever, like it matters."

We begin to go on our way again, the boy leading the way. The moment I take a step however, I remember Albedo's words from back then once again.

"If you ever need to cry again, I'll be here."

"Be here?" I begin to speak to myself. "You said you'd be there, but you weren't. Where were you during those times, Albedo? Where were you when I wanted to cry?"

"Citrine," the mysterious boy begins to interrupt me once again, "is something the matter?"

I realize now that a tear has begun running down my cheek, the streak it created still fresh. I quickly brush the tiny stream away with my finger, removing any trace it may have left on my face.

"Nothing's the matter," I tell chaos.

'Where, Albedo, where were you when I wanted to cry?'

* * *

(Jin's POV)

Lately there has been nothing between tension between my sister and I. Nearly every time we spoke to one another, we would end up bickering. I never enjoyed the fighting, but right now, I would rather prefer it as opposed to what is happening right now.

"I'm only a copy," my sister continues to mutter the same words to herself. "I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy."

For so long I have hidden the truth of her birth to her, trying so desperately to push her away from any clues or paths that would lead her to know. Tragedy was no stranger to Shion, but despite all the happiness she tried to show on the outside, I always knew how badly she was hurting on the inside. I knew she never recovered from our parents' deaths, and I especially knew she never recovered from her fiancee's death either. Despite all this sadness and despite trying to keep the truth from her, I knew that the truth would reach her eventually, but never like this and never this soon.

"Shion, stop it," Miss Elly tries to silence her with a tight embrace. "Stop saying such things, please."

My sister's words are bringing tears to her lover's eyes. It was wrong of me to accuse Miss Elly of still being a part of the Zohar Project, and it was most definitely wrong that I accused her of charming my sister for such a thing. I cannot bear to watch the two, I can only turn my eyes to the darkness that enshrouds us. Even when I turn away, I can still hear them, hear their tortured souls.

The darkness now begins to peel away from our surroundings, the magenta atmosphere that had enveloped us from the other side of the metal doors begins to glow around us once again. In seconds, the strangely-colored surroundings begin to disappear as well, replaced by giant metal walls that enclose us in a hangar-like room with railing at the north end. I draw my katana at this point, my fingers wrapping around the hilt tightly as the scenery changes back into the purplish-pink ambience. The shifting area continues to change with the passage of time, but there is one thing that does not change in either place. At the north end of this constantly changing room there is an object, a device which every faction of the universe is after, a relic that has done nothing but brought grief to my family.

"The Zohar?" I begin to walk toward the gold cross.

The sound of my footsteps are the only thing that echoes within the vicinity, but they are soon followed by those of Miss Elly's as she drags Shion's feet with hers. My heart is beating slowly but deeply, almost like the ringing of a gong. My eyes are unblinking, they can't help but stare at the gem-like structure in the vertex of the cross which seems to stare right back at me. Finally, after fourteen long years, I have located the source of my family's misery. I can't allow anyone to get a hold of it, no matter what the cost. I can't allow anyone else to be hurt by this relic!

"Ah!" I turn around to find Miss Elly suddenly hunching over, her hands forcing themselves against her ears.

"Miss Elly, what's wrong!" I quickly rush to her side.

"No, that's not who I am...," her words puzzle me. "Incomplete? What are you talking about? No, stop it, I don't want to hear any of it, stop it!"

What's going on here? First there was that vision of the past and now Miss Elly is suddenly starting to have fits. She seems to be hearing something, but I can't hear anything but her voice and my sister's. The Zohar, could it be that she is reacting to the voice of the Zohar?

"S...set them free," Miss Elly continues to babble what sounds like nonsense. "Shion, she wants you to set them free."

"Set them free, what are you talking about?" I try to ask Miss Elly. "Who is Shion supposed to set free?"

Before I can get an answer, the entire room begins to shake. The sound of metal shifting and cogs turning screeches in my ears now, the moving noise coming from the floor below, where the base of the Zohar stands. I quickly turn to the source to find the metal flooring closest to the Zohar moving. Several rows of metal oval devices begin to protrude out of the ground where the floor once laid, each of these capsules surrounding the lower part of the relic. The noise comes a halt the moment the capsules come into full view, and with that, Miss Elly stops speaking further, her hands also removing themselves from her ears.

"Are you all right?" I ask Miss Elly after.

"...I think so," she answers. "I thought I heard something, and then..."

"...And then?"

"No, it's nothing," she brushes off my question. "But those capsules over there, what are they?"

"They look like some sort of holding device for biological creatures, but they're too small to hold any sort of human being," I answer. "I'll go take a look."

I hurry over to the railing that keeps separates the Zohar and the platform we're on to find a ladder which leads to the depths that contain the capsules. I climb down the ladder to find myself amidst all the capsules, each of them several heads shorter than me, about as tall as my waist. Each of these strange devices are free from rust despite being unaccounted for in fourteen years. Water also drips from each of them, indicating that they have been frozen for so long. I then begin to notice that there is a piece of fogged up glass on each of them, but what is on the other side of the glass is a mystery to me.

I take one of the sleeves of my kimono now and begin to rub it against the fogged glass. The layer of vapor is rather thick, I find nothing new on the inside of the device. It is clear however that the vapor is on the outside of the glass and not on the inside as I have managed to remove a bit of it. I continue to scrub at the surface, scrubbing for about a minute until I finally see something moving on the inside. Whatever is inside is heaving, almost how a person breathes. I decide to look closer so that I may get a better idea of what it is I am looking at. When I do get a glimpse, I can't help but nearly fall over, shocked by what I have found on the other side.

Though the figure is disfigured in some manner, it is obviously the body of a realian. The figure looks to be no older than an eight-year old. The rest of the vapor begins to clear on its own now, as does the layers of fog on the other capsules. The deformed figures have all had their limbs lopped off, their skin rotting despite being in the frozen environment they were kept in. Each of them has some sort of breathing device and other mechanical components connected to their muscles. I find the contents within stomach beginning to crawl up my stomach now; it is not the image of these Realians that make me sick, it is the fact that I knew the one resting before me and the one to the left of her.

Cecilia, Catherine, these are the names of the younger sisters of my mother's nurse, the names of the two children who often played with Shion when she was still a little child. To see them like this, I can't help but... Set them free, I think I understand now, Shion had told me that Febronia had wanted her to set Cecily and Cathe free in a vision. What Miss Elly was saying just a moment ago must have been Febronia's words, but it would be impossible to free them in their current state. If we were to disconnect them from these devices, they would...!

Clang! The sound of metal crashing against one another abruptly interrupts my thoughts. Another crash follows soon after, along with the sounds of Miss Elly struggling. I try to forget about what I just saw so that I may hurry back up the ladder to see what is going on, not taking a second to look back. Before I can even place my foot on the first rung however, I notice a faint glimmer from the edge of my eye. Out of instinct I draw my katana once more in the direction of the shine, finding my weapon locking with another for a mere second. The force behind the enemy's sword pushes me away at this moment, knocking me against one of the Realian containers. Both my hands take hold of my weapon now as I prepare for the next attack. My body begins to relax however, not out of the fact that there is no danger, but due to the shock I find when I see the face of the man who tried to attack me.

"You...!" I barely voice. "But that's impossible, you died fourteen years ago when...!"

"Is that how you address a superior officer, Uzuki?" my nemesis gloats.

"You're as sure of yourself as ever, Colonel Margulis," I say as I regain my composure.

"And you haven't changed one bit, Uzuki," the Colonel simpers. "Still so easy to surprise, but no matter, I too would be surprised to find someone I thought I had killed to still be standing, after all, it was a mere coincidence that I was within the same vicinity where 'he' had business," my enemy explains. "Back then, if those with the 'will' were not there, I would have died. I lived however, lived so that I may return the favor of what you and Hyuga did to me back then. I had not expected to achieve revenge today however, for I have come here under the orders of another."

"And just what are those orders?" I ask as my eyes begin to narrow.

"I'm sure you already know what you need to know," the Colonel answers. "Your sister, she's a very special person, my superiors have always had great interest in her. Yes, her and that orphan you've been taking care of. Abel, wasn't it? Both of them play key roles in what my superiors have in store for this universe, supporting roles that are necessary for the main attraction."

"And just what do those roles entail?"

"That is for you to find out...," he begins to raise his sword once again, "on the other side!"

Colonel Margulis charges forward now, his sword slicing through the air as he holds it a few inches above the ground. I swing my blade down the moment his begins to rise, but the strength in my arms is not enough to hammer it into the wall. My opponent quickly recovers from this attack before I can strike again, our next attacks locking our blades once again. The weapons only lock for a mere second as the two go for another attack, but I am forced to go on the defensive this time as he aims his sword at my side. I manage to block the attack but am forced to step back as he moves forward. Again and again our swords clash against the other's blade, clashing back and forth trying to overpower one another.

It is obvious that he is trying to force me back into one of the realian containers so that I may lose my balance upon backing into one. Much to his dismay however, I manage to pass through the tiny corridors between the container units we've passed thus far. His strikes are faster than ever before, it's obvious he's improved over these past years as I am forced to remain on the defense. I don't know how much longer I can last by continuing to back up while defending, I'll eventually hit a wall or one of the units and leave myself open long enough to give a fatal blow. I have to take a risk if I am going to turn the tide of this battle.

I hop back after his next slash, but my jump lands my back against one of the containers, my body nearly falling over it upon impact. The Colonel takes note of this and raises his sword upward for a second, the weapon coming downward in the next. I lie on the container and await for the weapon, but I don't wait for my demise. When the blade is a mere centimeter away from my body, I quickly force all of my weight to the side, rolling away from the attack at the last second. My enemy has forced his weapon into the container unit, giving me a small opportunity to strike. I swing my blade at this moment during this moment of vulnerability, but I find myself staggering back as a sudden jolt of pain rushes into my left arm.

A dagger was hidden in the pommel of his sword, and that dagger was thrown the moment I went for a swing. Luckily the blade has not lodged into my arm, but it did graze it.

Ignoring the pain, I go for another swing, swinging upward from a diagonal fashion. My opponent manages to free his sword at this moment and quickly catches the swing with his own, guiding the blade in the opposite direction until the weapons' motions create a full circle. At the end of the swing, we jump away once more, but this time I make sure not to back into a container.

"Not bad, but you're still many leagues below me," Colonel Margulis brags without a hint of fatigue in his voice. "It doesn't look like you'll last much longer at this rate. This next attack should put you out of your misery."

The Colonel releases his left hand from his sword at this moment, the blade now lifted above his head as his left palm faces me. His legs begin to part, his right leg bent back and his left stretched forward. I ready my stance too, but I choose a different one from the Colonel's. My hand whips the blade to the side now, the motion causing a sharp whoosh sound when I swing it. My left arm brings the sheath to the same level as my waist, the dull edge of the katana now traveling against the scabbard's side before the entire blade is placed inside its restraint. My legs mimic the actions of the Colonel's, but the positions of my hands are different. My left holds the sword and its sheath near my side, the sword held in a forty-five degree angle as my right had hover close to the hilt. I plan on using a draw technique; if I can draw my sword fast enough, I can end the battle in an instant, but the question is if I can draw my sword fast enough before the Colonel can strike. If I miss, I know I'll be left vulnerable, my body left wide open and my blade engraved into one of the containers. At least that's what I want him to think; I can strike him with my saya after the missed attack, it won't kill him, but it will stun him long enough to follow up with a sword slash.

Before I can wait any further, my opponent begins to move. He charges quickly, his feet barely meeting with the floor as they traverse. A second later, the Colonel's feet leave the floor altogether, his body now leaping into the air so that he may do a front flip. He plans to go for an air attack, but why would he do such a thing, it would only leave him more vulnerable to my draw? It's obviously a trick, but I decide to take the risk and see what he really plans to do. My arch-enemy has now turned his flip into a hammer swing, the blade perfectly aimed for the center of my skull. I begin to draw my blade at this point, twisting my body in the direction of my swing as I unsheathe my sword. Both swings are fast, but...

"What!" I halt the drawing of my blade.

If I had been watching their fight more closely, I would definitely have noticed it. The inconsistency with the Colonel's feet hitting the floor when running just a moment ago, and now his body's abrupt disappearance, I should have known that I was only fighting one of the Colonel's shadows! Back then, the Colonel was only able to create shadows that can only swing their sword once, but now he can create one that can fight an entire battle! It's obvious he's gotten stronger over the last fourteen years, but if I was only fighting a shadow, then where...?

"As slow as ever, Uzuki."

Before I can turn around to see the face of my nemesis, a searing jolt erupts in my right shoulder. I turn to the source of the pain to find a sharpened slab of titanium lodged into it, the blade painted with streaks of crimson. The pain only returns a second after with the sword now extracted from my shoulder, my voice crying out in pain as ruby rivers escape the newly opened crater. I can't help but kneel as I clutch my wound, but my attention is not fully focused on the pain, but on those narrowed dark-purple pupils that pierce my very soul.

"Bastard!" I seethe.

"You haven't changed one bit, Uzuki," the Colonel simpers, "still unable to notice the details."

"I should've known you'd do something as underhanded as this..."

The sound of fighting from the upper floor grows louder than ever. I can hear tiny explosions beginning to echo from the floor above now and above those explosions, I can hear Miss Elly screams. It's obvious that she needs help, she can't keep protecting my sister on her own. I have to hurry up there, I have to...!

"Thinking about trying to save your comrade and sister?" my nemesis notices how I listen to the battle above. "I don't think so. Your opponent is me, Uzuki. We have a score to settle. I won't allow you to go anywhere until then."

He's right, there's no way I can continue to run from this battle. I have to settle this here and now. He may have been the senior student in my grandfather's dojo, but my grandfather knew that he would only use his teachings to benefit himself, hence why he never taught the Colonel the final technique. I cannot allow him to tarnish my grandfather's teachings any longer, and I cannot allow him or any of his comrades to get a hold of Shion.

"Very well," I ready my sword once again, "let's settle this once and for all."

* * *

(Ziggurat 8's POV)

This woman before me is rather persistent, continuing to get up even after my relentless assaults. It is true that she is indeed the test-type unit of the KOS-MOS Project, but according to my memory banks, she should no longer have the strength nor endurance of her previous self. However, it is quite clear that she still harbors the same guardianship she was originally programmed with as she shielded Shion Uzuki from each of my attacks.

"Ziggy, why are you doing this?" the mentioned KOS-MOS unit asks, using her sword as a crutch. "What's gotten into you?"

This is the third time she has addressed me with such a name, this "Ziggy." She acts as if I am some sort of acquaintance by the way she speaks. It should also be noted that this entire time she has not tried to lay an attack on me either.

"I do not know of this 'Ziggy' you speak of," I tell the woman. "I shall tell you once again, relinquish Shion Uzuki to me now, otherwise I will continue to resort to force until you either hand her to me or until you are no longer able to stand."

"They've gotten to you too, haven't they?" she continues speaking. "I should've known, it's just like 'them' to turn everyone around me against me. Even still, I have no intention of handing Shion to you, even if you were once an ally!" she seethes.

"Very well."

I begin to rush toward the KOS-MOS unit now, my target quickly pushing my objective out of the way so that she may attempt to stop my attack. She swings her sword at me at full force with both hands, but the attack misses as I step to the side. Her reaction to this is slow, so I take this moment to bring my knee to her abdomen. The attack forces her to hunch over, her body traveling upward with my knee. Even after I set my leg back down she still hunches over from the attack. I bring my fist onto her back as she stands there vulnerable, knocking her straight to the floor. With the target incapacitated, I walk toward my objective once more, who continues to lie on the floor uttering the words "I'm only a copy" over and over again.

Before I can come within arm's reach however, I turn around to find the KOS-MOS unit charging once again. She swings her blade in a hammer-like fashion at the end of her rush, the jack blade on my left arm rising in an attempt to catch it. I appear to have miscalculated however, as my target's sword manages to slice through the material of my weapon with ease. Immediately she tries to follow with another attack, but her blade suddenly stops before it can come in contact with me. Her entire form seems to be shaking now, the weapon in her hands barely held in place. It is unknown why she has suddenly stopped, but I must take advantage of this situation.

My right fist meets with her chin this time; the force behind this attack is strong enough to push her back and free the weapon in her hand. Again she falls, but this time her face is pointed toward the ceiling of the facility. It is obvious that I cannot just leave her lying like this, at any given moment she may return to her feet and attempt to attack me once more. I walk over to her now, finding her nearly unconscious. I begin to pull her up at this moment, taking her by the collar of her dress. My right hand begins to pull back, preparing the final punch that will render her dead. The blow never comes however as my sensors detect two more life forms entering the vicinity.

The doors that allow entrance to the area begin to open now, with the mentioned life forms running through. I immediately recognize the female among the two, my memory identifies her as the Testament of Sameness. The silver-haired boy that accompanies her cannot be identified however, so I must take precautions if I have to deal with him.

"Ziggy?" the unidentified boy begins to address me by that title now. "What are you doing!" he asks as he hurries over to me.

It is clear that he is after the KOS-MOS unit I am trying to dispose of, but I try to swat him away before he can come close. The boy manages to dodge my swing, his face showing a puzzled look after.

"What have you done to Elly, Ziggy!" he begins to question my actions. "After you all escaped, I thought that something terrible had happened to all of you, but now I find you...!"

The sound of Chief Inquisitor Margulis's battle on the floor below interrupts the boy's speech before he can say another word. His confused look now shifts into an angry one at this point, his entire body now giving off faint readings of Ether. The readings gradually increase in the manner of milliseconds, and after only three seconds, his readings are off the chart. The readings quickly die however as more life forms appear on my sensors. This time I read four of them, and as such, four more individuals enter.

These ones that have now entered are a different variety: one male human, one male U.R.T.V., and two Realians, one male and one female. Three of these four are registered in my data banks however; the U.R.T.V. is labeled as U.R.T.V. #666, Rubedo, the leader of the U.R.T.V. Forces. The male Realian is a Vector Military-type, programmed with the 'Canaan' factor. The other Realian is also identified, she is the 100-Series Observational Realian Prototype known as MOMO.

I find my entire body suddenly freezing the moment I recognize her face. For a second, I believe I saw her face smiling at me, but the scenery around us was different. The feel of her arms wrapping around my waist was also apparent, and there was some sort of music in the background. What I had just seen must have been a small malfunction, it shouldn't be of any concern at the moment.

"What the hell!" the U.R.T.V. reacts upon seeing me.

"Ziggy, what are you doing!" the 100-Series gasps.

"Machines are rather simple to understand once you get basic gist of them," the Testament begins to smirk now. "They'll do anything you tell them to; of course it might take a while to program them to do it with all those firewalls, protection codes, and other technological mumbo-jumbo."

"I should have known you would have done something as under-handed as this if we let you go ahead of us!" the U.R.T.V. spits, pointing one his firearms at the Testament.

"I had nothing to do with this one actually," she admits, remaining calm as the gun remains pointed at her face. "Besides, you ought to know now that your weapons are useless against me."

The barrel of the U.R.T.V. leader's gun begins to pull back at this moment, the bullet inside suddenly launched out as a whole. The projectile explodes into a cloud of smoke shortly after, giving the Testament a moment to jump away and onto one of the beams stretched across the ceiling.

"Ziggurat 8, take care of them," the Testament orders me. "Kill them all."

"Roger."

"Old man, are you serious?" the U.R.T.V. leader asks me now.

"Stop it, Ziggy!" the young realian begins to order me now.

Another image of her flashes through my mind once more. This time the U.R.T.V. leader is in it as well.

"Is your paycheck the only thing you care about!" the red-haired boy yells at me. "You just wanna dump her off so you can get to your next job, is that it, you're just gonna leave her like that!"

"Though I dislike your way of words, that describes the situation rather well," I find myself answering.

"You son of a...!" the young boy begins to throw a punch.

"Jr.! Ziggy! Stop it!" the young realian screams. "Jr., please calm down, Ziggy's only doing his job, and..."

"Only doing his job, how can you say that, MOMO!" the U.R.T.V. turns his anger to the young realian now. "Don't you see what's going on here, he doesn't care about how you're feeling right now, he just wants to drop you off like that and be on his way! I know that's not what you want, MOMO, so..."

"Ziggy's already done more than enough letting me stay with at the Uzuki Residence for the past few days," the 100-Series interrupts him, "he's already gone more than out of his way to allow me to do so. Ziggy's job was only to escort me to the UMN Committee's Central HQ, that's all, he didn't have to do anything else."

Another malfunction? This is starting to become a problem. I must not let such a thing stop me again. If I were to make a single error, it may jeopardize my mission.

"Everyone, Ziggy's... not his usual self," the KOS-MOS unit in my grasp barely speaks. "They must have...reprogrammed him when we got separated. He's after Shion, you have to stop him. Jin's... also in trouble, he's fighting on the floor below us. Please, help them..."

The KOS-MOS unit says nothing more after that. It's clear that she has only fallen unconscious as her chest slowly heaves after her eyes shut. Her wounds are not serious, but if she exerts herself anymore, the wounds will worsen. I will have to finish her off later to ensure her death; at the moment however, I must complete the orders the Testament of Sameness has just given me.

"Everyone, I'll go help Jin," the silver-haired boy informs his comrades. "Allen, Canaan, keep Shion safe, and when you get the chance, take Elly out to the sidelines of the fighting as well. Jr., MOMO, I'm going to leave you with Ziggy."

"But...!" the young realian tries to protest.

"You'll find a way, I know you will."

The boy tries to run past me at this moment and I naturally try to stop him. I cannot chase him for long however, as a bullet is fired before my foot. It is clear that the U.R.T.V. has no intention of allowing me to stop their comrade, so I must take care of him and the 100-Series first. My objective of stopping the boy should be completed regardless as Commander Margulis of the U-TIC Organization is fighting their other ally on the floor below.

Without wasting anymore time, I hurry toward the enemy that had just fired. Oddly enough, the U.R.T.V. does not fire again as I dash toward him, instead his hand shakes relentlessly as he continues to point his firearm at me. When the two young ones are within my reach, I begin to launch my fist forward. The U.R.T.V. and the Realian jump away in separate directions after my attempted strike, but again neither makes an attempt to counterattack. Another shot of gunfire follows from behind me, being fired from the military Realian that is assisting the Vector employee.

"What're you doing, stop it!" the U.R.T.V. suddenly yells at the realian.

"You heard the KOS-MOS unit, the cyborg has been reprogrammed, and thus, is to be viewed as an enemy," the Realian explains. "He must be destroyed."

"That's not right, he can't help it!" the 100-Series tries to defend me now. "Ziggy is...!"

I charge at the 100-Series now while she tries to speak, knocking the U.R.T.V. away in the process. As soon as the pink-haired girl realizes my attack, the military Realian begins to fire again. I manage to dodge this shot, stepping forward at the same time my right hand grabs the 100-Series by the collar. I turn the child in the direction of the firing enemy now, preventing any further shots to be fired. Surprisingly, the girl doesn't attempt to struggle as she remains in my grasp, instead she looks at me with a sorrowful and worried look on her face.

"Ziggy, please, don't do this...," she begs.

"MOMO!" the U.R.T.V. yells as he recovers from my attack.

"Ziggy, have you really forgotten everything?" the child asks me. "You couldn't have forgotten everything. You said it was your mission to protect me, remember?"

Another image flashes through my eyes now, the 100-Series Realian once again found within. I find myself approaching her as she stands on the other side of what appears to be a jail cell. She begins to look at me with a puzzled expression with a hint of fear.

"Who... are you?" she barely manages to ask.

"The Contact Subcommittee sent me here to rescue you," I find myself answering.

The images disappear from my sight once again, just as quickly as they had come in, replaced by another scene. I appear to be hiding with the girl, the two of us ducking underneath the window of what appears to be a control room.

"Um…," the child begins to speak. "Are you a military Realian?"

"No," I answer, "an ex-human."

"Ex-human?"

"A cyborg," I explain. "An ancient relic. I registered as an organ donor without giving it much thought, and they resurrected me after my death."

"That infamous Life Recycling Act, right?" she questions.

"Yeah. The Species Preservation Act came about thanks to the mess that old law caused."

"Um…you still haven't… …told me your name," the young Realian brings up once again.

"It's Ziggurat," I answer, "8."

"Ziggurat…8?" the girl gives me another puzzled look. "You're a real human, but your name sounds more like a model number. I know!" her face suddenly beams into a smile. "How about I call you Ziggy instead? Z-I-G-G-Y. It's short for Ziggurat…"

"MO...MO...?" I begin to address the girl I'm holding before me now.

What is this I'm seeing? A malfunction? No, memories, these are memories from not too long ago, so why...?

"What are you doing, Ziggurat 8!" the Testament yells at me from the beam on the ceiling. "Finish them, you have a mission to accomplish."

"I..." I find my fist beginning to loosen now.

"You recognize me now, don't you, Ziggy?" the young girl asks. "I know I just started out as another mission objective to you, but I know that's not how it is anymore. Remember when you danced with me during my birthday?"

"Come on, Ziggy," the scenery around me disappears once again, the young child now tugging at my arm, "dance with me."

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "but I'm not much of a dancer."

"Oh come on," the Realian continues to tug, "please!"

"Go for it, cyborg," I turn around to find the U.R.T.V. leader encouraging me, "but I got the next dance, okay?"

"...all right," I give in after a moment of ridding myself of my insecurity, "but I'm not very good at it."

"Yay!" MOMO cheers as she leads me to the dance floor.

"...that's right," I finish recalling, "I..."

"Does your mission mean nothing to you, Ziggurat 8!" the Testament yells again. "Finish...!"

"Shut up!" the U.R.T.V. leader begins firing at the Testament.

"I can't do it..." I begin to lower MOMO to the ground now, "because..."

"You're the closest thing I have to a parent, Ziggy," I remember.

"...because I love MOMO as if she were my own daughter," I finish in the present.

Yes, that's right, I can never bring myself to harm her. The only reason for why I no longer wish to forget the past is because of her. She is the light I have found in the darkness of my life after a century; there is no way I can extinguish it with my own hands, much less let anyone else do it. Voyager, how could I allow myself to be manipulated by him agai...!

My sensors suddenly pick up a strong reading of Ether. It's coming from above us; MOMO is directly in the path of the blast I'm reading! Without even thinking, I quickly push her out of the blast's path, but the moment I do, I find the mentioned Ether now raining down upon me in an instant. My mechanical arm and left leg have melted within the blink of an eye, my entire body quickly falling to the floor after the blast disappears.

"Ziggy!" MOMO screams.

I turn myself over to face the ceiling, finding a giant hole that stretches through the floors above us. A giant object also appears in this hole, the object growing larger with every second. The device seems to be giving off some sort of fuel residue, I can only conclude that it's some sort of A.M.W.S. unit. This machine is not like anything I've seen before; it's gold in color, with wing-like devices protruding from its head and back. The frame itself is rather bulky, almost like the machine Albedo pilots, but somewhat smoother. The head itself only has a single red orb on its face, almost like an eye. Two figures stand on the shoulders of the machine. The first one I recognize immediately; it is the KOS-MOS Archetype unit. The other one is an elderly man who wears some sort of cap and long white robe. I zoom in on the face of the old individual, seeing his neatly-groomed white mustache and pale skin. This man who is he, and what is he doing here?

"Took you long enough to get here, Your Holiness," Citrine greets the man.

* * *

(Shion's POV)

I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a...

"Shion...," I faintly hear someone calling my name. "Shion..."

No, it's not a name, it's a label. I'm only a copy of my mother, no, my original self, a duplicate of her genes. The me that's here isn't really me, it never was. I was created to replace someone, to take over a duty.

"Shion...," I look ahead to find the one who is speaking lying on the floor, barely conscious. "Set them free...," Elly barely speaks. "Please set..."

"...my sisters free," the apparition of my mother's nurse suddenly appears before her.

"Set them free..., was that what my original self was supposed to do?" I ask. "Is that the purpose for why I was born?"

"Please, set them free, Shion," Febronia requests once again. "I'm asking you as individual, and not a copy, to set them free."

"But why me!" I continue to yell. "Why must I set them free? Is this what everyone is expecting of me! I don't want to do it, I can't do it! I'm sick of everyone telling me what I should do!"

At that very moment, Jin and chaos appear, jumping from the floor below to the current floor. The two of them are injured, but they ignore their wounds for the most part, instead turning their attention upward. I find my eyes beginning to follow theirs now, finding a large, gold-colored machine hovering above us, along with Miang and another man standing on its shoulders.

"Ah, his Holiness has finally arrived," I turn back to where Jin and chaos stand, finding a man I had never seen before smiling at the giant robot.

"It's here," the old man turns toward the Zohar, "finally, after fourteen years, we can begin to fulfill the Old Prophecy."

"We can accomplish it sooner than expected, your Holiness," Miang informs the man, "the 'Mother of Destiny' is here as well."

'Mother of Destiny,' I find myself becoming more frustrated now that I've heard that title. The reason for why I exist was to be this so-called Mother, a role I never wanted bestowed up on me.

"Hello Mother," Miang begins to address me now. "I'm sorry for having to meet you each time under the worst circumstances, and I'm sorry for keeping Elly away from you for a while."

"Shut up!" I find myself taking my anger out on her now. "Don't you dare call me 'Mother!' You're no child of mine!"

"Mother...?"

"I told you not to call me that! 'Mother of Destiny,' is that what all of you just see me as, huh! Some sick prophecy you wish for me to fulfill? How can you all choose me to do something I had no say in!"

"Please Mother, I didn't mean..."

"I told you to shut up!"

"It's obvious that the woman has no intention of coming with us peacefully," the elder man begins to speak now. "Margulis, restrain her."

"Very well," the unknown man nods.

"Get away from my sister!" Jin orders as the man brushes past him.

Jin tries to raises his sword once again in an attempt to stop him, but a loud bang suddenly echoes within the vicinity, the bullet meeting with the ground a centimeter away from Jin's foot. I look to the source of the noise to return my gaze to Citrine who stands on a beam in the ceiling, the gun in her hand still smoking from the shot.

"Don't touch her!" chaos tries to stop the man now.

The gold mecha begins to turn at this moment, facing the direction of chaos and my brother. A beam of light emits from one of the fingers of the machine, the light suddenly traveling across the space between chaos and the one called Margulis. The beam quickly cuts into the metal floor, slicing it clean off from the rest of the area. The newly created platform begins to fall to the level below, but Jin and chaos attempt to jump off before they can follow.

While they are still in the air however, Miang suddenly jumps off from the shoulder of the unknown machine in the direction of the two. A sword materializes in her right hand at this point, the blade pointed toward the ground in an angle and the hilt of the weapon facing up. Jin tries to meet with her incoming attack with his own sword, but by the time their blades meet, Miang forces Jin away, instantaneously knocking him to the edge of my location in the same swing. chaos attempts an attack at this point with his own fist, but Miang easily sees through this and catches his attack in the palm of her hand. She copies the same action she did with Jin, throwing him on top of my brother. Instead of falling to the level below, her feet manage to find their way onto the Zohar, forcing her body into it so that she may rebound off it and jump in front of her two opponents.

"I can't allow you to interfere," she tells the two.

Jin and chaos return to their feet at this moment and begin to attack again, but my attention quickly turns back to Margulis who continues to approach me. Jr. and Canaan step forward this time, the two of them drawing their guns and opening fire. None of their rounds strike their target however, as they are easily deflected by our enemy's blade. As I watch, I suddenly find myself being pulled to my feet, with one arm on my shoulder and another around my waist.

"Come on, Chief, let's get out of here!" Allen tells me.

My co-worker tries to make me walk with him, my feet dragging against the floor with every step. He pulls me to where Ziggy, MOMO, and Elly are resting, with MOMO trying to do her best to tend to their wounds.

"Don't worry about me, MOMO," the cyborg says as he tries to drag himself back up to the remains of his mechanical legs, "I can still..."

"Stop it, Ziggy!" MOMO cries. "You're in no condition to fight. Because of me, your arm and legs...!"

"Why...?" I begin to ask everyone. "Why are you all doing this?"

"Chief?"

"I'm not really me, I'm only a copy," I explain, "so why, why are you all risking your lives for me!" I yell. "Is it because you all wish something of me too? Am I really that important that you'd kill each other!"

"The 'Mother of Destiny' is a vital factor in the completion of our prophecy," the old man dictates from his machine, "so of course we are willing to take as many lives as need be to obtain you. Yes, we'll take the lives of everyone that's unnecessary to achieve our goal."

"Is that so? Then..." I equip my M.W.S. one last time.

"Chief, what are you...?"

I find myself beginning to walk now, walking toward the recently cut edge of this floor. No one is able to stop me fortunately, everyone is too busy fighting amongst each other. Yes, even MOMO and Allen have gotten themselves caught in fighting as Citrine opened fire on them when they tried to follow. I begin to charge my weapon at this point, the invention beginning to hum softly as it collects the energy. The humming gradually grows louder with every passing second, the M.W.S. even begins to shake against my arm.

"Warning, continued charging of the unit will result in self-destruction," the system of my weapon speaks. "If that is what you request, remove the unit and move to a safer area within a minute's time."

A minute's time, that's all I have left before I can end this sad existence. The shaking and noise becomes even more erratic as I continue to stand in this spot, my eyes drifting toward the energy containers that sit below. Thirty more seconds the M.W.S. reads, it will be over soon. I continue to scan through each of the mechanical ovals as I await the inevitable, my eyes slowly reading the tiny letters engraved on each one. They stop drifting however, as my eyes barely scan two words on two separate containers.

"Cecilia...?" I read from them. "Catherine!"

Feb's sisters! What are they doing there? Why have they been mutilated and...!

"Shion..." I turn around to see the apparition of my mother's nurse once more. "Please, set my sisters free..."

"Feb..."

Why, why Cecily and Cathe? They did nothing wrong, they were just ordinary children, they did nothing to deserve this! Was it because they were involved with me when I was still a child? And these other Realians that are inside those devices like them, what did they do to deserve this? For the future of the Realians, is this what Feb meant? Is this what all Realians were built for, to act as some component for this relic!

No more. I can't take it anymore. Everyone... everyone is suffering because of me. And because of that, I... I'm sorry, Feb, but I can't set them free, but I can...

"Shion!"

The inevitable does not come however as I find myself suddenly pushed to the floor and the M.W.S. quickly peeled off my arm. As I fall to the ground, I watch the red device fall to the lower level, the entire unit releasing a rain of energy as it transforms into a gigantic explosion. The beams begin to shower over the oval devices below, each beam causing several to engulf in flames upon impact. The initial fires spread quickly, immediately hopping to the ones next to them in seconds until the entire collection is set ablaze. Finally, I had set them free, but not in the way I wanted. I... I just... I just killed hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people who had nothing to do with this conflict. If I had set off the M.W.S. like I had originally planned, I would have killed everyone on this floor alone, saving them to be rescued later on by someone else, but then... That death was for me and everyone who wished to manipulate me, so why? Is my life really that of great importance that innocents must die so that I may live!

"Why...?" the words of the one who saved me begin to ask in a harsh tone. "What were you thinking, you idiot!"

"Elly...?" I look up to find her standing over me, her fingers wrapped into fists.

"After all we've done for you, you're just going to throw it all away!"

"My life was never mine to begin with," I explain. "I'm only a..."

"Don't start with that 'I'm only a copy' bullshit! You're not a copy, you're yourself, Shion. Yes you've inherited your mother's genes, but that doesn't mean... Are you listening to me, Shion? Shion? Shion!"

Her words gradually become silent in my ears, my voice doing it's best to shut all noise that surrounds me.

"I'm only a copy," I begin to say once again. "I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy."

I'm only a copy. A horrible copy, a copy that just murdered many innocent people...

* * *

(Elly's POV)

The entire vicinity begins to break into a tremor; everyone else begins to stop fighting as it worsens in a manner of seconds.

"What's going on!" I turn back to MOMO as she desperately tries to keep her balance by hugging the nearest wall.

"Foolish woman," the Patriarch begins to speak. "I can't believe she destroyed the Zohar's entire restraint system."

Restraint system? What is he talking about? Of course, my old data banks spoke of something like this. During the failed project in Michtam twenty-four years ago, Realians were used to keep the Zohar's power in check; their bodies would be hooked up to the Zohar and the Zohar's energy would then flow into their bodies, taking the place of their bodily functions as if they were in some sort of womb. Of course a single Realian was far from sufficient to do the job, it required nearly one-thousand Realians to do this. Often times younger Realians were chosen to do the job because they were not as fully grown and aged as their older counterparts, thus it would take longer for them to replaced with a newer, younger one to take their place if they were to pass away.

"Your sister's just as stubborn just as you are, Uzuki," Margulis tells Jin.

"Why you...!"

After hearing those words, Jin quickly rises back to his feet, running past my sister so that he may swing his sword at his rival, but this time, the Chief Inquisitor does not fight back, instead taking a leap into the air, his feet landing on the shoulders of the gold mecha that hovers above his. As soon as he lands, the machine begins to point its palm at us; the center of its hand beginning to open as a Vulcan gun emerges from within. The weapon begins firing immediately, causing Jin, Jr., MOMO, Canaan, and Allen to scatter.

"Your Holiness, what do you want us to do with the girl?" Citrine asks above the noise of the elder man's attack.

"Leave her," the Patriarch answers, "we'll just take what we came here for and be on our way."

"Hey, where are you going!" Jr. yells as the machine begins to turn away from them now.

The young director begins to aim his pistols at the machine now, but each of the bullets ricochets off its armor at the moment of impact. MOMO tries to use her bow after seeing Jr.'s failed attempts, but her attacks only leave black marks on its gold-colored surface. Even Canaan's attempts that follow have no effect, despite his rifle being loaded with anti-A.M.W.S. rounds. The machine is heading toward our direction; they may not be after Shion at the moment, but I can't let them take the Zohar.

I draw my sword once again the moment the towering invention's shadow meets with my own. Soon I find myself beginning to running toward my enemies with all my might, my sword slicing into the metallic ground. Blood begins to flow freely from my arms and legs, the injuries that Ziggy had given me a short while ago taking their toll on my body once more. I do my best to ignore the pain, the crimson rivers now dripping into my foot steps and sword. Finally I find myself in jumping distance of the machine, but I find my legs beginning to die on me. I ignore the sudden numbness, but I don't know if I can reach the altitude of my enemies. My legs push into the ground with their remaining strength causing even more blood to escape my wounds. Miraculously I find myself leaping into the air, my body quickly brushing past the mecha's legs, arms, and now torso. At the rate I'm going, Margulis and the Patriarch should be within blade's reach at any...

"I can't allow you to interfere, my darling," I suddenly find my sister's face in front of my own.

Her right arm immediately begins to swing inward, the hilt of her weapon taking the lead. I bring my own blade in front of me in an attempt to block the swing; even though my sword does catch her own, the sheer power of her attack is enough to knock me backward. I find the wind hastily cutting against my back after the impact of her weapons, my spine meeting with a hard, metallic surface in the next second. I find my legs unable to move after hitting the floor, my arms barely able to push me upward and the grasp of my weapon loosened. As I attempt to recover, Miang lands in front of me, her weapon no longer raised against me but resting near her side.

"That was impressive, Elly," Miang compliments me, "I didn't think you were capable of having an instantaneous spike in your Ether, allowing you to jump to that altitude."

"You really did mean it when you said 'the next time we meet, we'll be enemies,'" I remember. "I didn't think it would be this soon that we meet again."

"Miss Elly!" I find Jin and my comrades that are able to stand rushing toward me.

"It looks like we're done here," Miang suddenly speaks, not even turning her attention to the ones running toward her. "Proto-Omega is now finally complete."

I turn back to find the gold-colored machine reaching toward the Zohar with both of its arms. Both hands take hold of separate rings that levitate around the artifact, quickly prying them away, causing the Zohar to fall to the floor below. The mecha doesn't allow it to fall far however, as it catches the relic with one of its hands. The chest area of the robot opens at this point, revealing a giant imprint that is in the shape of a giant cross. In seconds, the Zohar fills that space perfectly, the chest component of the machine closing once again after.

"I guess that's mission complete, ladies and gentlemen," the black testament suddenly appears on the towering mecha's head.

"Voyager!" Ziggy yells at the man.

"Thank you for your support, Jan," the cloaked man smirks, "without you, this mission would have been a failure."

"Bastard!"

The tremors begin to worsen at this point, growing even more uncontrollable before. The shaking causes everyone to fall to the floor at this point, it's impossible for anyone except for Miang to stand up.

"I suggest that you and your friends escape, my love," Miang advises me. "I really am sorry about all of this, Elly."

"Miang...!" I glare once more.

Without saying another word, my sister and Citrine hop onto the shoulders of Proto-Omega. Our enemies begin to fly away at this point, the earthquake only worsening by the second. Debris even begins to fall from the floors above us now, and at the rate this is going, is won't even be ten minutes before this whole floor is buried!

Hope is not lost however, the latest piece of debris is something I quickly recognize. It's gotten a few dents from falling, but it doesn't look like it will affect its flying capabilities.

"What's that doing here?" Canaan asks upon seeing the machine.

"When I came here, the E.S. Dinah landed on the top floor of this building," I answer. "I'll be able to fit two other people aside from myself in the cockpit, I'm afraid everyone else will have to hold onto part of the exterior while we escape."

I force my sword into the ground at this moment so that I may use it as a crutch. I hurry over to Shion who still remains lying in the same spot, muttering the same words of "I'm only a copy" again and again. I try to deafen my ears to her words, ignoring them as I wrap her arm around my shoulder so that I may drag the two of us to my craft. The others manage to open the cockpit for me, but I find the strength in my legs beginning to die on me again. More debris from the floors above falls, each piece of concrete or pipe comes closer and closer to hitting us. Somehow I manage to drag the two of us to the A.M.W.S., placing Shion in one of the cockpit seats.

"MOMO, I think we can fit you and Ziggy onto a single seat," I tell her as I see his current condition. "Everyone, I'm afraid you'll have to ride in the hands. I'll hold each of you close to the chest area to minimize the chances of being struck by any debris."

"Elly, are you all right?" Jr. asks as I practically drag myself so that I may place Shion on one of the seats. "You're bleeding."

"I'm all right," I try to assure the boy.

"Here, let me administer a Medica Ether," MOMO offers, "you're not in any condition to..."

"I said I'll be fine!" I practically yell. "We have to get everyone out of here, and now!"

I drag myself into the pilot seat of the machine at this moment just as MOMO takes the third seat and places Ziggy on her lap. With the three of us now inside, I immediately start to activate the controls.

"I'm sorry, if it wasn't for me," the cyborg apologizes I start up the machine.

"You couldn't help it," I tell him, trying to ignore the pain of my wounds.

Luckily the craft starts up without any problems or delays, allowing me to take the others into the mecha's hands as promised. With everyone now on board, I activate the rockets on the E.S. Dinah so that we may escape. Immediately after leaving the floor we were on, we are greeted by several giant pieces of concrete that fall from the upper levels. The moment my fingers tighten on the controls, more pain shoots up my arms. I clench my teeth in an attempt to block out the sensation, but it only causes more crimson rivers to escape the craters. Somehow I ignore the pain, allowing myself to pilot the craft so that I can dodge the falling pieces of the building without having to change the course of the Dinah. Even though we managed to escape from the immediate danger, we are immediately greeted by more rubble the moment we pass through. Four pieces in each direction, I don't know if we can escape this one, but... No, there's a small space which we can fit through, if we can just...

I feel myself beginning to grow faint again as we fly toward this new hazard, even my vision begins to grow blurry. I shake my head in an attempt to regain my composure, but it doesn't do much good. I can't seem to focus, everything looks exactly the same now. No, there's something that stands out. The light, it's the sunlight, I can see it through the small crack of the falling construction. I have to focus on it, and then...

We manage to pass through, the sunlight on the other side growing brighter. More pieces of debris fall, but we're so close to the exit that simply flying against it won't slow us down. I ram through each of the pieces of concrete and the iron beams, keeping mind to hold the ones on the exterior of the craft close to avoid and injuries. Before we know it, we are outside, but I feel as if we're still not out of danger yet.

"Something's not right," Ziggy informs me as we continue to fly into the atmosphere. "It's faint, but doesn't it feel like this entire area is shaking?"

"I'm detecting tremors coming from the crust of this area," MOMO reports as she reads the screen displayed in front of her. "It's not the building that's causing this, it's..."

"The whole planet is shaking!" I realize. "Without the Zohar, all of Miltia is going to split apart!"

"Is that even possible!" Ziggy exclaims.

"U-DO must have not only linked with Labyrinthos over the past fourteen years, it must have also merged with the planet's core during that time as well," I explain. "In other words, U-DO, which is part of the Zohar, is part of the core of Miltia, and with the Zohar taken away, part of the core must have also been taken away, so much that the planet can't contain itself."

"So what're we going to do!" MOMO asks frantically.

"I don't think I can fly the Dinah into space in time before the planet collapses, but even if I were, the others would...!"

"Hey, is that you in there, Miss Vector?" a familiar voice suddenly enters my radio.

"Matthews!"

I activate the rear camera on my craft to see a welcomed sight. It's the Elsa, and she's flying in our direction.

"We're gonna open up the hatch, get in there as soon as you can," Matthews orders on the other line.

I quickly turn the Dinah around at that moment to see the hatch in the Elsa beginning to open. I feel my consciousness dwindling again, the control panel and joystick are painted with random spots of crimson. I'm losing a lot of blood; I hate to admit it, but I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake.

"I'm only a copy," my ears turn back to the attention of my lover. "I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a copy. I'm only a..."

I can't fail now, I still have to prove to her that she isn't a copy, I have to at least get her and the others to safety. No, not only that, I have to stop my former superiors, I can't let them complete their objective, and I can't have them manipulate my sister any longer. And Abel, I promised Abel I would return, I promised myself that I would find out what it is about him that makes me see my own immaturity.

"Everyone, it might get a bit rough," I announce to everyone on the exterior with my radio. "Just hold on tight."

Everything begins to merge into black at this moment, but the last thing I see is the lights inside the hangar. Remembering where I last saw them, I begin to force my foot into the craft's acceleration with my remaining strength. I can no longer see where we are going, and I can barely even hear the others' screams. Are we heading in the right direction? I don't know, but we have to...

I feel the entire craft coming to a sudden stop now, my body nearly breaking out of the seatbelt before it bounces back against the seat. It may have not been the best landing, but we've made it.

"We made it!" I barely hear MOMO's cheerful voice.

"Yes, we've made it," I barely speak. "We've made it... Feeling... rather light-headed now. Must rest..."

"Elly, are you okay?" I can hear MOMO's voice beginning to grow frantic now. "Elly? Elly!"

"What's going, what happened!" I hear Jin's voice now, panicking as much as MOMO's.

"Oh my god, I can't believe she was piloting like that in her condition!" Allen speaks next.

"C'mon, we have to get her to the infirmary, quick!" I hear the Durandal's captain's voice next.

Their voices have virtually become deaf now, and I can't feel any part of my body anymore. I guess that doesn't matter right now, everyone is safe for the moment, that's all that really matters. Yes that's... all... that... really... matters...

* * *

(chaos's POV)

Elly, I can't believe she went ahead and piloted that craft in her condition. If only I knew that it was that bad, I would've done it for her. I'm such an idiot, why didn't I...! It's just like that time so long ago. I failed 'her,' I didn't do what was right and because of that, 'she...'

"She should be okay for now," MOMO's voice breaks me out of my pondering. "But we have to get her to a hospital, she's lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, as soon as we get back to the Foundation I'll get her into the best hospital we have," Jr. assures her.

I begin to leave the infirmary at this point, I can't bear to see her like this. Back there, I couldn't sense her for a majority of the time unlike how I normally could. U-DO was always known to block our powers to an extent, it was stupid of me to assume that she was dead. And Pellegri, she's still acting as 'his' messenger. She said we'll be meeting again soon, after all this time. Will I be ready to confront him this time? No, if I couldn't even confront 'her' other half, there's no way I can confront him.

Miang... I thought she had regained her memory back by now. No, she did, but not all of it. She's been exhibiting some of her true potential, but not all of it. Is she even aware what she's really capable of? Can I even bring myself to fight her if we were to meet again? Whenever we confronted each other recently, she would always act as if she didn't recognize me. Her memory must not have been fully restored, I suppose it would make sense, Elly's true potential has not been fully realized either. It was foolish of me to suggest the idea to Citrine to contact her, it was stupid of me to assume that she had remembered everything that happened back then.

"Hey chaos, you all right?" I find myself wandering into the bridge now.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I guess I'm just a bit under the weather, that's all," I answer.

"That's not like you at all," Matthews tries to cheer me up, "but then again, I can't blame you for acting the way you are after everything that just happened. The android girl's in critical condition, the cyborg's nearly destroyed, Miss Vector is in some sort of psychological shock, and on top of that, Old Miltia just crumbled into space dust."

"This is all too cruel," I barely manage to speak. "Every one of them has been forced into a cruel destiny all because of a single mistake made so long ago."

"Huh?" my words causes confusion amongst the rest of the crew.

"...it's nothing," I tell them. "By the way, Captain," I try to change the subject, "how did you manage to get rid of Yuriev's soldiers?"

"Actually..."

Before the Captain can say another word, I begin to sense something. No, not something, someone hiding behind each of the different control panels in the cockpit. Before I know, these people suddenly come out of hiding, their guns all pointed at me.

"Freeze!" these individuals order.

"What the! Captain, why...?"

"When you guys left, these guys came board on our ship shortly after and took care of the soldiers. We thought they were there to help us out, but then we found ourselves taken hostage by them. They ordered us to drop them off in Labyrinthos, but by the time we started heading there, the whole planet started shaking and there were you guys flying in that weird robot."

"That weird robot is called an 'E.S.,'" one of the soldiers explains. "Sorry about the rude introductions, boy, but it was necessary for us to commandeer your ship."

"You... You're Meris Orthas of Scientia, aren't you?" I immediately recognize the woman's face.

"Her great-granddaughter actually," the woman corrects me.

I begin to wrap my fingers into fists at this point, but each of the soldiers quickly notices this, cocking their guns once again as a reaction to my own.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she tells me. "I've got several more men hiding throughout the rest of the ship. Make one wrong move and my men might have to resort to violence."

At that very moment I hear more men's orders echoing from the other side of the ship. Again I hear weapons being cocked and orders to stand down, along with my comrades being forced to comply. I should've known it wouldn't be this easy to escape, but still, I know for a fact that this isn't 'his' doing.

"Ma'am, you're not going to believe this," a Scientia soldier reports as soon as he reaches the bridge. "There's a KOS-MOS unit here as well."

"A KOS-MOS unit, are you serious!" Meris exclaims.

"There's something strange about this one though, ma'am," the soldier continues. "This one's on life support and in critical condition."

"...that is strange, but that doesn't matter, that's not going to affect our plans," Meris tells the soldier. "Captain, take your ship to these coordinates," she orders, handing him an electronic device. "I know it seems like we're here to harm you, but that's not the case," she informs me now. "We know you're from the Kukai Foundation, we simply want to ask you a few questions. There's also those two Vector employees and that KOS-MOS unit, we would like to question them too. As long as you answer our interrogation, we'll let all of you free."

Answer your interrogation, I'm afraid that's impossible. It's bad enough that I've gotten my friends involved, I don't want anyone else to get caught in the mistake I made so long ago. Friend or foe, I don't care, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. I'm sorry everyone, but this is all my fault...

* * *

(Wilhelm's POV)

Fate, such a peculiar word. For many years Man has believed that their lives were pre-ordained, in fact, many still believe in this notion. Does such a thing called "destiny" truly exist, or does Man create his own kismet with his "free will?"

"Master Wilhelm," my red-cloaked subordinate interrupts my thoughts, "I wish to give a report. Citrine and Voyager have retrieved the Zohar, it is currently in the hands of the Ormus Organization as you ordered."

"I see, thank you for your report," I tell my subordinate.

"I'm afraid I am not finished, sir," he continues. "Dimitri Yuriev has been trying to contact you about this decision; he is currently on the line, will you take his call?"

"Yes, patch him through," I answer.

I turn my attention to the video phone on my desk now, the screen revealing me a face I have not seen in a short while. Short while, maybe it isn't so short when comparing it to the life span of others.

"Dr. Yuriev, what do I owe the pleasure?" I answer the line.

"Spare me the pleasantries, Wilhelm," the man spits, as crude as ever. "Why did you send the Zohar to the hands of the Ormus Organization? I thought we agreed...!"

"Yes, we did agree, good doctor," I interrupt, trying to calm the man down. "The Zohar will be yours, but be patient a little longer."

"A little longer, that was exactly what you told me a century ago!" the doctor continues to lecture. "It may not seem like a long time to you, but...!"

"Is a week sufficient enough?" I interrupt once more. "Before we can hand the Zohar to you, we need one week for... another project."

"'Another project?'" he scoffs. "Just how many more do you need until...?"

"This will be the last before we can obtain our goal, I assure you."

"You better be telling the truth, my patience runs thin, Wilhelm," he says, beginning to calm down.

"You have my word."

"Do I really? Just remember this, don't even think about backing down on our deal, otherwise I'll expose everything you and your subordinates have been up to for the last several millennia."

And with that, the man hangs up. The fool, does he think his threat scares me? Even if he were to attempt to expose everything, he would too would expose the truth of his existence. I do intend to keep my promise to him, after all, we did create that alliance nearly a century ago after the Voyager Investigation, even if that alliance has been shaky. Even if you do plan on breaking that alliance, I have the 'White Horse' ready to act at any given moment. Yes, you'll get what's coming to you, my good doctor.

"Master Wilhelm, I'm afraid I must question you on something," I look up to still find my subordinate standing in the same place. "It regards Miang..."

"Miang? What is it you wish to ask about?" I ask.

"During the last battle, you ordered Voyager to reprogram Ziggurat 8, even though it was only temporary, but then you had Miang destroy his mechanical limbs. I'm aware that you are attempting to temporarily disable all obstacles just as you did with Elly's capture, but I still don't understand why you didn't awaken the 'final one' when you had the chance?"

"It's quite simple, despite how strong the 'Mother of Destiny' is, she is still fragile emotionally. If she were to experience anymore trauma during the time, she would be unable to cope with so much loss and undoubtably commit suicide as a result. There is also the fact that 'he' has no reason to advance to another existence at the moment. As a wiseman once said 'the fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth,' that is why we must prolong his 'birth.'"

"I see... While we are on the subject of Miang, I must also report on her actions lately."

"I'm already aware of them. I know that she spared those Scientia soldiers and fought with Orgulla, but I already have something planned to fix her recent misbehavior. After all, that's why we also created 'her.'"

"'Her?'"

"Yes," I answer, pressing a button underneath my desk.

The flooring in the center of the room begins to split now as another metal platform makes its way up from the hole. The platform isn't empty however, for my main attraction also rests in a container that sits upon it. It isn't long before the new floor appears, and in the center of it, is where 'she' rests.

"Sir, this is...?"

She's so beautiful as she sleeps; her pearl-white hair easily rivals the hue of her father's. Her skin is also exactly like his, and those eyes, it is almost frightening that they resemble one another so much in appearance. No, not just him, but 'her' as well. Yes, she looks almost like her mother as well. It would bring me such pleasure I see your face when she finally awakens, when you two finally meet, when you see what we've done with her. The drama, how I love a good drama.

"Soon you shall be born, my dear," I place my hand on the glass. "Soon, my beloved T-elos..."

* * *

XenoMark's Note: I think this was the longest chapter I've written so far, and it was probably also the most difficult. Sorry to leave it a cliffhanger here, but the chapter's long enough I think. Don't worry about Elly, she'll be okay in the next chapter (at least, okay in terms of health now that she and the others have been taken hostage by the Scientia Organization). As for T-elos, she's finally made her way into the fic, and we'll actually see her in action in the next chapter, so wait for it (hopefully I'll be able to update quicker than I did with this chapter). Also in the next chapter, expect to see a one-on-one conversation between Albedo and Citrine. Unfortunately though, we won't learn what chaos's "mistake" was in the past until later on in the fic, so please, watch out for it. If you want this fic to be updated quicker, please leave a review (but no flames please). I'm also thinking about whether or not I should open up my own forum thread for my fics on but I'm not sure, what do you readers think? Anyways, that's enough ranting, hope to see ya all in the next chapter. 


	11. The True Telomerose

XenoMark's Note: I just saw the latest trailer for Xenosaga 3 recently, I must say that this game looks better and better with every new trailer that's released. I just hope the newest one lives up to the hype of the trailers. For those of you who haven't seen the trailer yet, I won't spoil by telling you the identities of the Testaments (although I will hint that the answers are pretty obvious). Anyways, T-elos makes her real introduction in this chapter (you can find art for her on the Xenosaga fan fiction site on our profile), although her personality might be a bit different from her video game incarnation, hopefully she'll be somewhat appealing to you readers. Not really sure what else to say, so let's get to the story.

* * *

Chapter 11: The True Telomerose

(Citrine's POV)

Once again I find myself staring into the ceiling, my body paralyzed by the events that have just occurred. The pain wasn't as great as it was back then, nor did I bleed during the course of the events that just happened, but the fact remains that it still hurts. It's not my body that's in any kind of pain, but something else, something inside me.

I turn to my side to find the possessed body of Nigredo now sleeping. Yuriev..., the man who was responsible for my creation twenty-six years ago, the man who turned me into who I am today, I should feel grateful to him for all he's done for me, but for some reason, I don't. Why is it that I do not feel this way? That fool, Albedo, this is his doing; it's because of that weakling's words that I express anything to begin with.

I get out of bed now, making as little noise as possible. Yuriev hates being woken up, and if I were to awaken him, I know what he would do, it's happened several times in the past. I remember one incident in which I tried to sneak back into my quarters after one of my nights with him; on the way out, I accidentally tripped over a chair and woke him up. He quickly regained consciousness after my knees hit the floor, quickly pushing himself out of bed with a furious look on his face. His fists repeatedly pounded against my face because of my clumsiness, his feet taking over after I fell to the floor. He didn't finish there however, the beating had excited him. He had his way with me again afterward, despite the fact that I my face was swollen and bleeding profusely. Smiles always came to his face whenever he saw or heard any expression of anguish. I always did my best to prevent showing such a thing whenever we were together, but even now...

"Well what do we have here?" a feminine voice with a strange accent speaks the moment I shut the door. "If it ain't that hussy that tried to attack the Foundation three days ago. What's the matter, figured ya couldn't take over the place so you decided to become the master's tricycle?"

"What's wrong, jealous?" I retort, the girl's words not phasing me the slightest. "Or is it that you'd like a ride?"

"Look you!" the blond begins to lose her temper. "I don't know who you are, but ever since you came here, Master Gaignun's been actin' all weird. Not only that, nothin''s been right; your soldiers wander around actin' like they own the place, doin' whatever they damn well please, the people ain't even allowed to leave the Foundation no more, and Little Master and his friends disappeared after your expedition to Old Miltia three days ago. I bet you were in charge of their disappearance; Master Gaignun might not be able to see past those snake eyes, but...!"

"Let it go, Mary," the woman's violet-haired sister appears behind her, trying to calm her down.

"But Shelley...!"

"As much as I agree with your statements, this isn't the best way to get anything resolved," the elder sister explains. "Calm down and I'm sure Master Gaignun will give us an explanation at some point, after all, it must be difficult for him to endure the Little Master's disappearance."

"I know that, Shelley, but...!"

I deafen my ears to the rest of their conversation, instead walking away as the sisters begin to argue amongst each other. After the events that occurred on Old Miltia, Yuriev and I came up with a cover story to feed to the public. The story was that the expedition to Old Miltia had failed due to the terrorist organization, Scientia. We were able to convince the people further by providing footage taken by the KOS-MOS Prototype, Unit 00-00-00-00-0, who had recorded her battle with Meris Orthas II and then copying and pasting footage of Rubedo and his comrades that Labyrinthos' security system recorded, the footage uploaded into Proto-Omega before obtaining the Zohar. To help enforce the story further, I returned to the Foundation in a dated U-TIC battleship and had my clothes tattered to make it look like I barely escaped. I was also given a copy of the fake recording under the guise that I brought a small camera to the expedition. Everyone seems to fallen for the cover story, but there are very few who doubt its authenticity, such as the Godwin sisters.

"Lady Citrine, are you all right, ma'am?" a soldier suddenly asks me.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" I answer the soldier.

"My apologies ma'am, it's just that I thought I saw a tear being shed just now," the soldier explains.

"I'm all right," I assure the soldier.

A tear just now? It's the same as it was during my childhood. Cry? No, I won't cry. A U.R.T.V. isn't supposed to feel anything. I'm not supposed to have emotions, I'm not supposed to concerned about my own well-being, all that matters is the eradication of U-DO. No, not just U-DO, I must also complete my duties as a Testament as well. I have to...

Was that another tear that just traveled down my cheek? Wait, why another? A fourth one? Why, why are they begin to fall more rapidly? Just what's going on? What's wrong with me all of a sudden?

"Ma'am...," the same soldier begins to address me again.

"I...I'm okay," my voice stutters, "it's just...just allergies. Excuse me!"

I hurry out of the area as quickly as possible, running until I reach the transport, not caring where it's going. The train car is empty fortunately, allowing me to have the water escape my eyes so freely. My body lowers itself to the ground as my arms wrap around my chest as my teeth bite down on one another. I find myself beginning to succumb to sadness just as I did back then. Why? Why am I concerned about what he does to me, even now? It's been fourteen years, I'm supposed to be grown up now, so...! Grown up? Why should that matter to a U.R.T.V.? Age shouldn't...

"Next stop, Prison Block," the train's speakers announce.

"If you ever feel like crying again, I'll be here," Albedo's words from the past come to mind after hearing this location.

"If I ever feel like crying again..." I repeat to myself.

.-.

Am I fool for coming here? The words he told me fourteen years ago, why do I find myself drawn to an offer he made when we were children. Would he even hold to that end of the bargain? No, of course not! He wasn't there for me back then! He wasn't there when I wanted to cry all those times! He's a disgrace to the Variants, no, the U.R.T.V. Forces in general. So why, why do I find myself being to drawn to the promise of a weakling?

"Well this is a surprise?" the white-haired Variant says the moment I open the door to his cell. "Didn't think the ice queen would grace me with her presence."

"Can it, weakling!" I retort as the cell door shuts behind me.

I can't think of anything else to say after I yell at him, instead taking a seat on one of the benches of the dank room. A silence passes between the two of us, even I find myself unable to shed any of the tears that I had shed just moments ago. I simply find myself twiddling my thumbs and staring into the cracked pavement beneath my feet as I sit. It's obvious that the weakling isn't going to start the conversation, but for some reason, I don't leave the cell.

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh," Albedo begins to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Nothing really, I just remembered a rather entertaining story," the madman answers. "It was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."

"Very funny," I roll my eyes in his attempt in humor.

"No, no, hear me out," he continues. "There once was a little girl who tried to close her heart off to the world," his tale begins to unwillingly catch my interest. "Nearly every night she would find herself in a difficult situation, a situation which would always bring her to tears. No matter how hard she tried to shut away her emotions, they would always come in the form of floods from her eyes. At the same time, there was also a little boy who opened his heart to the world, and he also often find himself in difficult situations. The two were outcasts, but it was clear that the girl wanted nothing to do with the boy. One day however, when the little girl was in her usual fit of tears, the boy had spotted her."

"Shut up!" I slam my palms into the bench as I return to my feet. "I've heard enough of this story!"

"Now now, cool your jets, let me finish," the white-haired variant says in a mocking tone. "Now where was I? Oh yes... The girl's reaction to the boy was no different on this occasion, but despite his mistreatment, the boy pressed on."

"Stop it!" I yell.

"After enough pushing, the boy finally got the girl to open up to him, at least for that one night. The two had spent the entire evening together, the embrace of each others' arms keeping them free from the cold. When morning came, the girl had stopped crying; she made the boy promise not to tell anyone of the events that had transpired the evening before. The boy agreed to the promise and gave her a proposal. 'If you ever feel like crying again, I'll be here,' was what the boy proposed. To this day however, that proposal was never taken, and perhaps now..."

"Stop it...," I find myself sinking to the floor once again. "I...I've heard enough..."

"...perhaps now that proposal can finally be fulfilled."

"Fulfill that proposal? What a load of bull," I spit, my eyes glaring into the floor.

"Then why have you come to visit me at this hour?" he begins to question. "If you merely wanted to observe me out of spite, you could have easily done so outside this cell. Are those tears I see beginning to crawl down your face?"

"Uh...?" I find myself beginning to cry once again.

"Such tears..." his palm falls beneath my chin, then raising it so that my eyes meet his. "What beauty they hold, these tears of sorrow."

"...stop it...," I barely muster to say.

"They are the most precious substance in the world," he continues as his fingers begin to wipe them away.

"...stop it...," I try to look away once more.

"Frailty, thy name is woman," he begins to quote Shakespeare as he forces his eyes unto mine once again. "Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice," he begins to quote another of the ancient playwright's work, "Handlest in thy discourse O! that her hand, in whose comparison all whites are ink writing their own reproach; to whose soft seizure the cygnet's down is harsh."

"...stop it..."

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summers lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmd; And every fair from fair some time declines, By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owst; Nor shall Death brag thou wandrest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growst: So long as men can breath or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

I make no attempt to hide my shame no longer. The words the corrupt U.R.T.V. had just spoken, for some reason I find myself moved by what he had just quoted. I find myself at his mercy, just like how I was fourteen years ago.

He continues to wipe the tears off my face, his fingers delicately sliding against my skin as he moves the streams away. His hand is warm, his touch gentle; I can feel my body beginning to suddenly burn from within with every inch he touches. The shortness of breath, the butterflies in my stomach, the slow but deep throbbing in my heart, that undescribable but wonderful feeling from back then has suddenly returned.

He finishes drying my tears, my body once again growing cold with the departure of his hand. He continues to stare at me however, his gaze leaving me paralyzed. I find my lips beginning to quiver as I stare into his eyes, finding my reflection in those violet orbs. My entire body begins to shiver as I continue to observe them; I feel so helpless, and yet, so empowered at the same time, but why...?

His hand touches my face once again, his palm running down the side of my face ever so delicately. The fire that was burning inside me has returned with his touch, forcing my lips into a small curve. My face begins to grow flushed as he caresses me, my eyes unblinking as I take notice of that smile on his face. This smile..., it's not the same smile he has worn recently, it's that same innocent smile from when we were children. So warm, so innocent...

My body falls forward now, but it does not meet with the floor. Once again he has stopped me; I can feel his heart beating against my chest as I rest against his. More tinder is added into the flames inside me as I rest against him, intensifying even further as he wraps his arms around me. I find my own arms begin to move around his shoulders now, moving together slowly before my arms quickly pull him closer to me.

Just being here with him, it feels so...good. I feel so comfortable with him holding me like this, so relaxed when I wrap my own arms around his body. I've never felt like this whenever I was with Yuriev, I never felt so...alive.

No! A U.R.T.V. isn't supposed to care about things like this! I'm not supposed feel this kind of warmth, this comfort! I'm not...!

"Just let it all out, just this one time," I remember his words from fourteen years ago once again.

'Just this one time...,' I think to myself. 'Perhaps I can let it all out just one more time...'

* * *

(Ziggy's POV) 

I open my eyes to find myself in the same room, the same empty and lifeless area. Ever since we were captured by the Scientia Organization, I've been kept in the same room, my captors unable to supply me with the necessary parts that were destroyed during my recent confrontation with Voyager. I'm assuming they haven't repaired me on purpose so that I wouldn't be able to break free from captivity. I may be unable to move or escape, but the others tend to visit me often me, especially MOMO.

From what I can gather from them, it's been three days since we escaped Old Miltia. We are currently being held in a small island city in Second Miltia, which acts as a cover for a base for the Scientia Organization. Nearly every civilian is a member of Scientia I've been told, but outsiders do not know this; to throw off outsiders, Scientia soldiers are dressed like Second Miltia military personnel, and communications using the UMN are hacked into the network. I do not know why we are being held captive, but it appears their leaders believe we know some information of great interest.

According to MOMO, everyday for the last three days, they've been interrogating one of our comrades for a duration of at least twelve hours. The first one was Allen, but he didn't have any information that was of any real use to them; Scientia was already aware of the specifications of the KOS-MOS Project, at least of what Allen knew. Yesterday it was Canaan's turn, they had extracted the newly defragmented Y-Data from him; none of know what that data is though, it seems like only the higher-ups are allowed to know what that info is. Today is supposed to be Jr.'s turn I heard, I can only pray for him as I have for Allen and Canaan.

The door to my room begins to open at this point, I can only assume it's MOMO giving me her daily visit.

"So we finally meet, Jan Sauer," the door reveals a woman who reminds me of someone long ago.

"Meris...?" is my reaction when I see this woman.

"Close," the woman explains, "in actuality I am Meris Orthas II, I'm your former partner's great-granddaughter. So how are you feeling?" she tries to initiate a conversation. "I'm sorry that our organization hasn't replaced your mechanical limbs yet, Ziggurat Industries Cyborg parts are actually quite difficult to find these days. Don't worry though, we'll have you repaired soon, the machinists in Scientia easily rival those of Vector and Hyams Industries so they can easily recreate..."

"What is it you want with me?" I ask in order to end the small talk. "Are you here to interrogate me?"

"Not exactly," my visitor answers. "My great-grandmother created this organization a century ago in order to uncover the truths behind the U.M.N., the Federation Government, and Vector Industries. According to my mother, my great-grandmother would tell my grandmother and my mother the horrors of what the U.M.N. was capable of, explaining to them her first hand accounts of the so-called 'Voyager Investigation,'" her words force an old wound to open once again.

"What about it?" I ask, trying to end this old tale as quickly as possible.

"My great-grandmother died before I was born, and my mother and grandmother were killed in the line of duty before they could tell me my great-grandmother's tale," she continues, still not getting to the point. "The only other person who is left that can recall the Voyager Investigation firsthand is you, Jan Sauer. Because of the deaths of the women in my family, I never learned nor understood the reason for why Scientia is fighting against the very universe itself. I want you to give me that reason, Jan Sauer, give me the reason why we are fighting."

The reason for why her organization is fighting, is that what she really wants to ask me? Her eyes tell me a different story; they're still green, not in color mind you, but they show inexperience. Not only do I quickly identify this trait, I see other things a veteran soldier would lack. Compassion, uneasiness, though she has a high position within Scientia, I can assume that she only holds such a high rank because of her name. I can also come to this conclusion after overhearing the conversations of her injured comrades when we were captured on the Elsa. The injuries were due to a failed surprise attack on the KOS-MOS Archetype, Miang, mostly due to Meris ordering her men to come out of hiding after her sensors picked up their location.

The main thing I see in her eyes though, is the feeling of uncertainty. I've seen these eyes before, seen them in her great-grandmother, Meris Orthas I. My former comrade was not very certain what to do with her life when we were assigned to one another, in fact, she simply joined to "make the world a better place." At first she did not know how to do such a thing, but it appears that after my death, she had found a way which resulted in the creation of the Scientia Organization. What my comrade's descendant asks of me however, is not why her organization is fighting, but for a reason she herself should fight.

"Shouldn't you find the reason why you are fighting by yourself?" I voice my opinion.

"What?" my question causes her to grimace.

"A soldier doesn't ask others the reason for why he fights, he fights because he has his own personal reasons," I elaborate. "Your great-grandmother, she was just like you at first," I explain, "but after my death, I assume she found her own reasons to fight, hence why she created this organization. As you said, she created this organization to find the truth, but for why you fight, that is something you must find out on your own."

"Are you saying that I don't have a reason to fight!" she begins to yell suddenly. "I do have my reasons; my mother and grandmother were killed by the Federation Government and Vector Industries during different missions. What I fight for is justice, to allow them to rest in peace and not leave their deaths unavenged!"

"And what will that accomplish?" I retort calmly. "Revenge will not bring back your mother and grandmother. Justice, can you truly call your revenge justice? In your pursuit of this so-called 'justice,' your organization has taken many lives. Is that fair to the families and friends of your victims as well?"

"Then why do you fight?" she asks still fuming. "You talk about how taking lives isn't fair to the families and friends of the victims when you yourself have been working as a mercenary for the last century since your resurrection. You're nothing but a hypocrite for speaking such words, taking part in jobs that always involve killing and destruction. I swear, I should just...!" her anger momentarily subsides with the ringing of her phone. "What is it?" she practically growls into the communication device. "...I'll be right there," she hangs up. "Old bastard, you got lucky this time," my former comrade's great-granddaughter seethes. "The next time I see you I'll be sure not to be as nice."

Without saying another word, my guest immediately hurries out of the room. She called me a hypocrite, I know for a fact that it is true. But the reason for why I fight... I used to fight to find an end to my own life, but now that seems to have all changed. I have to wonder why it is that I fight now? Is it also for revenge like Meris said, or is it to protect MOMO and my new comrades. I do not know why it is I fight now. I truly am a hypocrite...

* * *

(Jr.'s POV) 

"For the last time, I don't know anything!" I slam my palms onto the table for the millionth time today.

Damn these Scientia bastards are persistent! For the last three hours they've been asking me on things like the "Zohar Project," what we were planning to do with the Zohar Emulators, and something about an "Old Prophecy" based on the Ormus Sect. Like hell I know anything of that stuff, but these guys keeping pushing for some answers. I'm sure this is what they did to Allen and Canaan, continuing to push them to give them some sort of answer. They might just be pushing with words right now, but I'm sure torture isn't out of their jurisdiction either.

"Don't lie to us, we know who you are, U.R.T.V. #666, Rubedo!" my interrogator retorts by mentioning my real name. "Don't think that we don't know all about you and the secrets behind the Kukai Foundation. Believe me, we have ways of making that information public."

"I keep telling you, I don't know anything!" I try to explain once again.

"Bull shit! It's hard to believe that someone with such a high rank in the Kukai Foundation knows nothing about the inner workings of the Second Miltian Government. Now tell us everything you know about the Zohar Emulators and what they're used for."

"I already told you everything I know! How am I supposed to know what they're used for, they're just a bunch of giant, gold-colored crosses to me."

"How much longer are you going to play the fool, Rubedo?" my interrogator asks. "Even if you don't talk, I'm sure others will. What about that girl from Vector, we know she's the Chief Engineer of the KOS-MOS Project. She may be unable to speak now, but we have ways of making her talk," his threats anger me further. "Or better yet, what about that KOS-MOS unit that we picked up along with you? It's strange that the test-type is a humanoid type as opposed to the archetype and mass-produced models which are machine-based, but that makes it all the better when it comes to interrogations. There's also that 100-Series that we've acquired upon your capture," I find my eyes narrowing further with the mentioning of MOMO, "she has another portion of the Y-Data, we can simply extract it from her while she's still conscious, I'm sure we'd..."

"Stop it!" I jump out of my chair now.

I find my body beginning to step forward on instinct with my arm beginning to launch forward at the same time, but before I can even raise it to my waist level, I hear the sound of a gun cocking and a hollow piece of metal poking into my back. Damn it, the guard outside must have been paying attention to the conversation in this room. I don't know anything about what these guys are asking about, but if I don't give them an answer, they might end up torturing Shion, Elly, or MOMO. I could try to make something up, but these guys will interrogate the others regardless and if the stories don't match up...! Shit, I don't know what I should do.

"You two, get out here!" a third guard suddenly enters the room now.

"Why, what's wrong?" the interrogator asks.

"We've lost contact with all the other sections of this block," the guard answers. "We got a guy who just contacted Lieutenant Orthas just in case a moment ago so back up should arrive shortly. In the meantime, transport the prisoner into lockdown immediately, we'll continue the interrogation at a..."

His next words become inaudible as the sound of hissing slowly begins to fill the room. That sound is quickly followed by smoke, covering everything into a hazy gray. The grey clouds fill my lungs quickly, forcing me to hack the contents out of my system. As I wheeze, I hear the sound of gunfire close by, but it's quickly silenced by the sound of metal pummeling into flesh. I try to look to where the two guards behind me once stood, but I don't see their silhouettes in the smoke. I hear the same sound again, but this time it's coming from where my interrogator was standing. The smoke has begun to clear now, and now I see the figure of someone I don't know. This outline of this person appears to be a woman with long hair that grows down her lower back, but I can't make out any other features. I see her punching into the body of the interrogator, or at least I thought I saw her punching into him. No, she's kicking..., no... now she's punching..., her movements are just too fast for my eyes to register. Wait, where'd she go, she just disappeared from...!

The smoke is gone for the most part now, but there is no sign of the my unknown rescuer. Actually, is she even here to rescue me? I can see the bodies of all of the Scientia soldiers now; it looks like each of them were dead before the pain could even register in their brains, but still, each of them appear to have been beaten some more even after death. This doesn't seem like the work of anyone I know, and I'd rather not take chances into believing whoever did this is on my side. I take one of the fallen guard's rifles at this point and begin to make my way out of the room, only to realize that whoever saved me is actually standing behind me right now!

The moment I feel the breath behind me, I quickly turn around and open fire, only to find myself shooting at the wall. I feel them breathing on me again, this time to my right and I begin firing in that direction. There's still no sign of anybody. What the hell...? Whoever it is is really fast, I can't seem to get close to even touching them. Is this speed even humanly poss...?

"You're wide open..." their voice whispers into my ear now.

A blunt force quickly meets with the side of my face, my body hitting against the wall I fired on after. I try to push myself back to my feet after, but I find my body not responding to the attack. Dammit, the power of her attack was strong enough to paralyze me after only one blow, and I couldn't even see it com...!

My head begins to peel away from the wall now, but it's being peeled away by an unknown force. Before I know it, it's being pressed against the floor now and the back of it is being stepped on by the heel of my unknown attacker's shoe.

"I thought I'd go easy on you since you were a kid," that same mysterious voice begins to speak now. "I could care less if you're really a twenty-six year old man under the childish exterior," she continues to taunt, "the battlefield isn't meant for you designer children."

"You bitch...!" are the only words I can muster. "Who the hell are you!"

"You're in no position to ask questions!" she begins to sigh as she buries her heel further. "I'll at least indulge you and tell you," she pulls my head up using my hair, turning me to a pair of greenish-blue irises. "I am the true telomerose, the end of all ends."

"KOS...!" this woman's features remind me of...

Before I can say anything else, I find head once again crashing into the floor. Everything slowly begins to merge into black as I lose feeling of the rest of my body, but I can still hear her mocking voice inside the darkness.

"See ya, little boy!" are the last words I hear.

* * *

(Shion's POV) 

A copy, that's all I am. My real self, the woman who I was based off of, she was supposed to do something very important during her lifetime, but for some reason she was unable to complete the goal. I was created as a replacement to fulfill what she could not. What was it my real self was destined to do? Was it something as horrible as what I did not too long ago? Cecily, Cathe, and those other Realians, they had nothing to do with any of this, and yet I...! Is this what my original self was supposed to do? Am I supposed to commit even more horrible atrocities in my life before I die?

"No, that is not what you were born to do," the familiar voice of a child answers my thoughts.

"Nephilim...," I find the child now standing beside my bed.

"I'm sorry that you had to learn the truth of your birth, Shion," the young apparition apologizes, "but I'm afraid..."

"You want me to commit more horrible crimes, is that it!" I cut her off before she can say another word. "I won't have it! No more, I don't want anything to do with this anymore!"

"But Shion, if you do not play out the role that you were born to do then many others will suffer," the child tries to explain.

"Suffer? Haven't many suffered enough!" I fume. "What about my real self's family, Jin's mother and father, along with Jin himself? What about Jr., MOMO, Ziggy, chaos, and the rest of the Kukai Foundation? Or Miang and Elly? Everyone, everyone's suffering because of me! If I didn't exist, then...!"

"That's not true," Nephilim tries to assure me. "It's because of a certain individual that all of this is happening. No, not just this individual, it's also because of me, it was my mistake back then that caused all of you to..."

"So you're using me just to fix the mess you made!" I yell. "Why can't you do it yourself, you don't need me to do your dirty work!"

"I'm sorry, Shion, but I am unable to do it by myself," Nephilim tries to explain. "Only those entwined in the ripples of destiny can..."

"Destiny!" I scoff. "And just who decided we were a part of this so-called 'destiny?' I never had a say in playing the part of your supposed 'Mother of Destiny,' much less know what it is. My entire life was meaningless up until this point, it was never mine to begin with. Everything I've done until now, all of it, a waste just so I can fulfill some sick desire!"

"Do you really mean it when you say that your life is meaningless?" Nephilim asks.

The scenery around us begins to coalesce into itself at this point, twisting itself back out a second later, transforming the scenery into another area. I find myself now standing in what looks like a city park. The sky is blue, with not a single cloud in the atmosphere. The sun is shining brightly, its rays filling my entire being with warmth. The winds are calm, slightly blowing against the trees and other flora and fauna. Wait a minute, this place, it looks so familiar...

I can hear the sound of humming, it's coming from behind me. I turn to the source of the gentle melody to find a little girl wearing a light blue dress sitting in a small flower garden. A soft smile rests on her lips as she places a daisy into the newly dug soil, delicately covering its base after planting it. She takes another flower that lies next to her after, placing it a few centimeters to the side of the one she just planted, continuing the same process. I find my body beginning to calm at the sight of this girl, but why is it growing calm? This place, this garden, all of it, it feels so familiar...

I hear another voice now, this one coming from my side. This voice is sighing, as if this individual were bored. I turn to the source to find another person, this one a twelve year old boy. I find my heart beginning to pace slowly at this point now and my breathing difficult; everything begins to grow hot inside me as well. This boy, why is he making me feel this way. Wait, the cropped navy blue hair, the cobalt eyes, the broad shoulders, these are all so...

"Um...," I find the little girl beginning to approach the boy now, "hello."

"...hi," he answers, somewhat uninterested in the child.

A silence begins to pass between the two children, the boy staring off into space as the girl buries the toe of her shoe into the earth. Her hips sway back and forth as she thinks of something else to say. It's clear that she's nervous, and for some reason, I find myself feeling the same way. Why am I feeling so bashful at the moment? Wait a minute, why am I moving my foot into the ground like her? Why is my body shifting so uneasily? I can feel... her own emotions and thoughts running through me at this moment, but why...?

"Um..., what'cha doing?" I find myself wording the same sentence as the girl in a synchronized fashion.

"...nothing."

"Oh...," I find myself once again copying the child's words. "Um..., what's your name?" we both ask in a shy manner.

"...Kevin."

Kevin! Can this boy truly be Kevin! Wait, I'm beginning to remember something... When I was a little girl, when I would be in the park, there was always someone I used to talk to all the time. There was a boy, he was six years older than me; he was very smart, but he took things too literally. Was that boy I used to talk to back then really him? So if this boy is Kevin, then this little girl must definitely be...!

"My name's Shion," the little girl and I introduce ourselves at the same time once again.

Kevin, I've known Kevin ever since I was a child, but why have I forgotten until now? Even when we first met in Vector that faithful day, he never told me anything about meeting me in the park back then. So why, why did I forget our childhood together?

"Um... do you like flowers?" my younger self and I ask in synchronization once again.

"...no," Kevin answers, somewhat annoyed.

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Well I like flowers. Daddy told me that if I gave Mommy enough flowers, she'll get better."

"...that makes no sense."

That's right... Every time my father and I visited Mom back then, we would always give her flowers. Dad always said back then that Mom used to always work in the garden before she was sent to the hospital. Whenever we gave her flowers, she seemed to remember us, at least for a few moments. Her favorite flowers were...

"Daisies are Mommy's favorite flowers," my younger self continues. "She even named me after her favorite kind."

"After Tatarian Asters huh?" Kevin asks. "They're often the favorite food of the Lepidoptera species."

"Ha ha ha, you're funny," my younger self chuckles. "Do you wanna water some of them?" my younger self changes the subject, handing my former lover a water pitcher. "They won't grow if they don't get any water."

"...I'll pass..."

"Please... Pretty please with a cherry on top..."

"...all right," he sighs, taking the pitcher in hand.

"Such a peculiar memory...," another voice suddenly interrupts the scene.

"What!" the speaker catches me by surprise.

The entire scene turns black in seconds after hearing this single word. The warm atmosphere has disappeared, with a cold air wrapping around my entire body. This frozen ambiance, it's coming from the one who interrupted my memory. I quickly turn around to the source of the voice to find an individual I didn't want to run into again. That red cloak, the beak-like mask, it's the very same man who made Elly run away from the Kukai Foundation.

"I'm surprised you've forgotten about this until now, Shion," the Red Testament speaks.

"You..., what are you doing here?" I ask, my body nearly paralyzed.

"This memory meant a lot to me back then as well," he continues. "I'm just sorry that..."

"You!" Nephilim appears before the two of us once again. "You have no business here, leave this place at once!"

For the first time I see anger in the young girl's speech. I find myself shocked at this, seeing the apparition glaring at my enemy. The cloaked man does nothing as the child narrows her eyes at him, he simply continues to stand before us unphased.

"But I do have business here," the man answers. "You already know that I..."

A burst of flames suddenly explodes in front of the red-cloaked man. The fire does nothing to scare him away as he continues to stand there as if the sudden attack was an empty threat.

"How long have you been running, Shion?" the cloaked man begins to ask.

"Running...?" his words leave me puzzled.

"No, that isn't the right word. The point of your concentration, was is it always on the negative aspects of your past?"

"What do you mean?"

"Every night since your parents died, you would always remind yourself of their deaths. Before you found yourself drifting to sleep, you would always recall that fateful day. Even when you did push back those memories and fell asleep, your mind would unconsciously remind you of your hurtful past. Your brother quickly noticed this after a week after your parents' deaths, that was when you first started taking sedatives to go to sleep. Even after taking the drugs, you would always find yourself waking up from the same memory."

"That's not true!" I deny his accusations. "I never always had to take the drugs, not when...!"

"Not when you were in love," the man finished my sentence. "When you had someone to hold as you slept, when you had someone to wake up next to you, that was the only time in which you could sleep without the drugs and without waking from nightmares. To have someone to be there for you, that was the only time you didn't feel the void of loneliness creeping over your shoulder. Whether it was Kevin Winnicot or your 'daughter,' Elly. The only reason why you fell in love was so that..."

"Speak no more!" Nephilim interrupts once more. "Say nothing else and never return here again!"

"...very well, I shall abide to your wish for now," the man begins to turn away now. "But one more thing, Shion. Your fiancee, Kevin Winnicot, did you really love him?"

"Of course I loved him!" I answer. "I still love him! He will always have a place in my heart! I never loved him simply so I could forget the feeling of loneliness, I never loved him just so I could fall asleep, I loved him because of the person he was, I loved him simply because I could!"

'I?' Did I just say 'I?' Yes, 'I.' It wasn't myself as a copy of my mother that loved him, it was 'me.' My 'self.' But why would this man ask...?

"...I see," the man says. "But can he truly still have a place in your heart when you have now given it to another? Can you truly love despite denying your own words?"

"I said that was enough!" the young apparition spits once more.

"Heed my words, Shion, for you cannot truly love if you cannot even admit the truth."

And with that, the man disappears into thin air. I realize now that I truly am myself, but I am left wondering why that Testament asked me those questions. Deny my words, what could he have been talking about?

"The void of loneliness...," his words repeat in my head.

Is that what he meant? Am I lying to myself that I was just using Kevin and Elly to fill that void? No, I know I love them, but the aspect of filling that void is...

"...I don't like what that man is planning," Nephilim suddenly remarks, "but he does speak the truth. Shion, if you wish to obtain your answers, you must first find your own truth."

"My own truth?"

"Yes," Nephilim answers. "That man has brought up several items to consider. Did you truly love your late fiancee? Were you using the people most important in your life to fill your loneliness? You must find these answers first, Shion, then you may learn the truth of your birth."

And with that, the child disappears as well. My own truth, what could it be, and why is it that I'm having trouble admitting to it? Why?

* * *

(Elly's POV) 

The face of my lover changes for the first time since our arrival here. There is no longer that look of sorrow on her face, it is now an expression of worry. She must be dreaming, but what she is dreaming of is something I do not know. Is she still questioning whether or not she is a copy of her mother, or is something else now bothering her?

Whatever it is she is dreaming, I hope it's better than the dreams I've been plagued with. I've been having more of those strange dreams these past few days, the dreams in which I am with this man named "Fei." I think I'm beginning to understand these dreams a little more. I seem to be a soldier for a nation called "Solaris" in these dreams, a nation that has separated itself from the rest of the world. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the closest explanation I can come up with is that Solaris exists in an isolated nation in the sky, invisible to the naked eye. Fei on the other hand, is a land dweller, or -Lamb- as they are referred to in my dreams. As a soldier of Solaris, Fei is supposed to be my enemy, and yet, I feel no hostility toward him or his comrades. Jin seems to be in my dreams as well, appearing as a man named "Citan." Like Jin, Citan seems to be a guardian of sorts to Fei, much like Jin is somewhat of a guardian to Abel.

I still don't know why I'm having these dreams, each feeling more realistic than the last. The dream I just had last night was just as strange as the others. In this one, I was fighting Fei, but my body was acting apathetic toward him. I seemed to be on some sort of drug, -Drive- is what I think what it was called. We fought in Gears, machines similar to A.M.W.S., but the -Drive- was affecting my mind. Fei stopped me, he stopped my Gear from moving as the drug wore off. I remember at the end of my dream that Fei and I were talking, that he said he could relate to me, despite being on different sides of the conflict we were facing. I still don't understand any of this, just what exactly are these dreams?

"How is she?" I turn to the entrance of our quarters to find Jin standing there.

"She seems to be resting a little more peacefully now," I inform him, "I suppose the sedatives worked this time."

"I've always hated myself recommending that my sister take these drugs in order to fall asleep," Jin admits. "I tried bringing her to a psychologist over the topic of our parents' death, but Shion would always tell me that nothing was wrong. I never pushed her enough to get any help, so the only thing I could do to stop herself from reminding herself of our parents' deaths were to take sedatives so that she could sleep. I thought she wouldn't need them anymore when she was engaged to Kevin since she always seemed to happy with him, but...!"

I find myself growing silent over the name of Shion's late fiancee, the name of my "father." I can't say anything about that man, I never met him myself after being separated from Miang when we were both still the archetype, but I can't help but feel a little bit of... apprehension when Jin mentions his name. I suppose I'm a little jealous, but it's rather silly of me to think so now that he's...

"Miss Elly, why don't you take a break?" Jin proposes. "I'll watch over Shion for now."

"No, I'm all right," I try to assure him.

"Please, you've been by her bedside for the last five hours straight, at least take a five minute walk to loosen the tension in your muscles."

"I suppose I can take you up on your offer," I say as I realize the numbness in my legs. "Shion," I speak to my sleeping lover now, "I'll be back soon."

I place my lips on her forward and then proceed to leave our quarters now. I feel terrible having to leave her right now, especially since this is a very difficult time for her. I can't get her depressing state out of my mind, I can't help but still feel sorrowful over what she's going through right now. Maybe if I hadn't said those things that night I left her, then... No, even if I didn't, the fact that she learned back in Labyrinthos would greatly upset anyone, and the fact that she killed all those Realians only made things worse. No, I killed them too, I was the one who threw the M.W.S. off her arm, but if I didn't she and everyone else would have...!

Wait a minute, that man that just walked past me just now. That orange hair and those yellow eyes, it was that military Realian, Canaan! I've been so caught up in my own sorrow as of late that I haven't had the chance to question him on what my former superiors are up to. I'm sure that my superiors voluntarily had him achieve part of the Y-Data in Labyrinthos so that they would stop questioning him once the Scientia technicians had extracted it. If that's the case, I'll have to question him myself and find out what's going on once and for all.

I follow Canaan to another part of the residential district, but I do not make an attempt to confront him yet. It wouldn't be wise to question him in public with a lot of Scientia soldiers and civilians around. I know he won't be making an attempt to contact his superiors from here, chances are that all forms of communication are tapped. Hm, what's this though? He's going into a bar. Could he be meeting with some sort of contact? No, that's not likely, but whatever's he doing there, this should be the best opportunity to confront him.

The moment I enter the bar, I find myself starting to cough as I find clouds of tobacco smoke already entering my lungs. Mindless chatter of the occupants fill my ears amidst the smoke and somewhere in the background I can hear the TV announcing some sort of sporting event. The entire facility is filled with the scent of terrible B.O., I almost find myself throwing up over the disgusting odor. I find myself preparing to leave shortly after, but before I could, I catch a glimpse of my target who receives a mug of beer from the barkeep. Holding my breath, I decide to venture into the bar, taking the seat next to my target, placing my sword to the left of me so that it is out of his grasp.

"What'll you have?" the bartender asks after I take my seat.

"I'll just have some milk, please," I answer.

"On the rocks?" I find myself puzzled by his question.

"No thank you," I tell him, making him go to the other side of the bar to get my drink.

I turn to my right to find the Realian nursing his beverage. I'm not sure if he noticed me or not, but I make an attempt to pretend that I don't notice him either. I try to turn my attention to the TV set, only to turn away from it shortly due to the lack of interest in the game that's playing. I won't be going anywhere if I don't start the conversation, but I can't just interrogate him outright. I'm not sure how to go about this, but I have to at least try.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, trying to pretend to make a conversation.

'This isn't the best way to start a conversation,' I scold myself mentally.

"Thought I could use a drink," he answers in his monotone voice. "You?"

"I guess it's the same," I answer.

"The Vector girl doing any better?" he asks.

"I can't really say...," I find myself beginning to sulk again after answering.

I do not sulk for long however; I feel as if something is beginning to creep up my spine. I sense something, but I'm not sure how to describe it. Whatever it is, I'm sensing it coming inside this facility. A woman I have never seen before is what walks through; this individual seems to be the cause of this sensation. The entire room grows silent as well the moment she begins to approach the bar.

This person looks familiar, but I know I've never seen her before. This woman wears her long hair freely, the strands as white as a ghost but reflect what little light there is in the room perfectly. The color in her eyes is the same shade as an aquamarine gem, sparkling with the same essence when I stare into them. Her lips are rather thin, but they are not the least bit chapped. Her skin is of a light brown shade, it looks like ever inch of her body is tanned. Come to think of it, she looks similar to my sister, although what she wears is definitely not something Miang would wear.

This woman is wearing a scarlet red business suit, or at least, part of a business suit. She wears the jacket for such an attire, but she wears no shirt underneath it; instead she appears completely nude underneath and the jacket itself is only buttoned near her breasts so that you can still see the cleavage. The skirt she wears with this clothing is rather short, it's only the length of an index finger from her hip down, I can see the front of her underwear as well. The woman begins to pass by me now, her left eye shutting as she walks by with her lips pressing forward in the motion of a kiss. She doesn't take another glance at me as she takes the far seat of that bar, her arms hugging the section of her body underneath her breasts as she leans toward the bar.

"What'll it be, ma'am?" another barkeep asks the woman after she takes a seat.

"Do you have any candy?" the woman makes an odd request.

"...there's a few pieces of peppermint in that bowl next to you, but..."

"Thank you," she places a few coins on the bar as she takes a large red and white lollipop, proceeding to lick it after removing the wrapper.

'What a strange woman...,' I think to myself.

"Milk, straight up," the first bartender places my drink in front of me now.

"I know you didn't come here for small talk," Canaan tells me after taking another sip of his drink. "What is it you want from me?"

"I think you already know," I answer as I bring my order to my lips.

The moment the white liquid enters my mouth, I find it being spat back out in the next second. The taste of this milk, it's so bitter; it tastes almost like rubbing alcohol! There's a slight taste of cream, but it's rather bland. I look at the drink itself now; it isn't even white like milk, it's murky as if it was a drink mixed with some other liquid.

"What is this?" I wipe away the remaining contents from my mouth. "This isn't milk at all!"

"You know in some bars, 'milk' is another term for 'White Russian,'" the Realian explains. "What you've got in your hand is a mixture of vodka, kahlua, and cream."

"No wonder...," I slide the drink away. "But that's not the point! My former superiors, the people you're working for, I demand to know what their goal is. It seems a little convenient that they sent you here."

"Looks like they gave you more information than I thought they did," Canaan says as he takes another sip of his drink.

"Don't try and change the subject!" I begin to grow impatient. "Why have you been sent on the expedition to recover the Zohar? Did your superiors know that this was going to happen if they kept me away long enough? Tell me!"

The military Realian stares for a few seconds, his facial expression remaining the same way it did during the start of our conversation. He returns to his drink shortly, as if my last words weren't spoken. My blood begins to boil at this point, my left hand quickly taking my sword by the sheath as my right draws it, bringing the tip to his neck. The entire vicinity grows still, so quiet that I can hear my own teeth clenching.

"Step outside," I order the Realian, not wanted to worsen the scene I've created.

The Realian finishes his beverage at this point, leaving several bills on the table to pay for his tab. I place my own money on the table after, leaving the drink on the table as is. The two of us walk outside at this point, going deep into the alley next to the bar so that we won't attract any unwanted attention. The two of us finally stop at a dead end, and at this point, I try to continue my interrogation.

"I know that your original programming entails you to find those that possess the 'will,'" I inform him, "much like the Realian Lactis was programmed to do a century ago during the Voyager Investigation on Abraxas, or rather Michtam as it is now called. Is that reason why you're here? Was everything that happened these past few days preordained by the Compass?"

"I don't know, I'm only a subordinate of Vector," the Realian answers. "And if I did know, why would I want to tell you?"

"You're right, you may not know about the Compass, but I know that you're lying about your reason being here!" I tell him as I tighten the grip on my sword. "If you value your life, you'll tell me what that reason is now."

Before another word can be said, the entire area begins to shake violently. Though the tremor lasts for only a second, panic has already been spread widely as I turn around to find many civilians running into the streets and away from this area. I see black smoke emerging from the bar at this point, the small of ash and cinder filling my nostrils seconds later. There's no mistake about it, there was some sort of explosion at the bar, but what...?

My body quickly finds itself pushed against the wall at this point, Canaan running into the streets as I try to recover. It was stupid of me to pay too long of an attention to the recent explosion, and I can't let him get away before I learn anything. I try to follow him at this point, but the military Realian is faster than I thought, already disappearing into the crowds of people.

Before I can begin to look for him in the panicking crowd, I find a chill once again creeping inside my body. My intuition tells me to avert my gaze back to the bar, and upon doing so, I find the same woman who ordered the lollipop walking out of the ensuing blaze unscathed, still licking at the candy as if nothing had happened. It couldn't be more obvious that this woman was the cause of the fire; she must be working under my former superiors.

Several Scientia soldiers surround the woman at this point, each of them pointing a rifle at her. The woman remains calm as the soldiers surround her, continuing to enjoy the piece of candy in her hand smiling innocently, almost like a child as she stands there. I can already tell by looking at this woman that this situation isn't considered a threat to her, and that she can easily get out of this.

"This has to be her, the one who attacked the prison earlier," one of the armed men speaks.

"Place your hands above your head!" another soldier orders the woman who ignores his order.

"Sir, before we do anything rash, shouldn't we wait for the Lieutenant?" the first soldier asks his comrade.

"Didn't you hear us, put your hands above your head!" the second soldier repeats himself, disregarding his ally's advice .

"No, don't provoke her!" I yell to the soldiers in an attempt to warn them, only to be heard by deaf ears.

"One second," the woman tells the man, still indulging in the peppermint in her hand.

"You bitch, what kind of fools do you take us for!" another soldier spits, snatching the lollipop from her grasp.

At this point, the woman's eyes quickly narrow, her figure suddenly disappearing from my own eyes. In the blink of an eye, I find a soldier to the right of her suddenly disarmed, his gun split in half. She quickly reappears for a mere second in front of that soldier, her hand wrapped around the back of his neck. In the next instant, she flings the soldier toward his comrades, knocking each of them several feet away. I find myself paralyzed after seeing this demonstration of such incredible destruction, the grip on my weapon so loose that my sword is ready to fall out in any second.

Each of these men try to open fire at her at this point, but none of the projectiles are unable to hit her. She disappears before my eyes once again, appearing in front of them once again. Her leg and body turn in a circular motion, her leg swinging low toward one of the soldiers' ankles, tripping them easily. As the man is still falling, she kicks upward with the same leg and then brings the heel of her shoe into the soldier's abdomen while freeing his pistol from his holster with her left hand. She steps into the soldier's stomach now, forcing him into the floor in a split second, pointing the gun at its owner's face right after.

"Die!" she speaks coldly before pulling the trigger.

The remaining soldiers begin to open fire on her at an almost point blank range now, but she spins and swerves her body and limbs away from each projectile with ease, almost as if it were a dance. She begins to fire the pistol in her hand now as she evades each bullet, each blast either stopping an enemy's or implanting themselves onto the enemy's themselves. She continues to do this with ease for not even thirty seconds, the battle ending with each of the Scientia solders lying on the floor dead or gravely injured.

This kind of power, it's impossible by all laws of physics, there's no way any living creature can create such a tremendous amount of damage in such little time.

The woman turns toward me now, dropping her gun and picking up her lollipop off the floor, placing it back in her mouth afterwards. She begins to approach me, her face displaying a cold and blank expression. My body remains frozen as she walks toward me, my body still not reacting to my own commands.

'Come on, move!' I try to snap myself out of own fear. 'Move!'

The sound of her footsteps begins to echo above the screams and panicking in my ears, her body only growing closer with every passing second. I try to move my legs at the very least so that I may run, but my knees feel as if they're locked in place. Everything is frozen, even my lungs, I can't seem to move anything at all. Is this how it's supposed to end? Am I supposed to die a pathetic death without any effort to fight back?

"I promise," I suddenly begin to remember my promise with Abel, "I promise that I'll come back."

That's right, I promised Abel I'd come back, come back so that I would find out why he allows me to see my own immaturity. Not just Abel, but everyone as well. Shion, I can't die yet, I can't die before you've returned to your old self!

I manage to conjure up enough strength at this point to gather some Ether. My enemy fails to notice the gathering of the power in my right hand, her body continuing to approach me in a slow walk. I wait for her to grow closer, allowing the power in my hand to grow slightly erratic. The Ether becomes more and more uncontrollable by the second, but my enemy is now within a range I know she won't be able to dodge.

"La so lu te ve ta!" I fire it at my foe as quickly as possible.

The woman's eyebrows quickly raise the moment I announce my attack, but it is too late for her to react. Her entire body is quickly engulfed by the blast, the attack itself even makes its way into the destroyed bar, causing another explosion in the destroyed building, filling the entire area with smoke and fire once again. I stand amidst the new blaze hoping that my attack destroyed this foe, I don't see why it wouldn't, no living creature could survive such an immense attack. Even though I was confident that I had killed her, I knew deep down inside that it wasn't going to be this easy, my superstition being correct as she stands in the same spot totally unphased with the exception of her clothing.

"Impossible...," is the only word I can mutter.

She tears off the red outfit at this point, exposing another provocative outfit underneath. She wears a black shirt with violet lining that barely covers the top half of her body, barely covering the top half of her breasts and exposing their cleavage, neck, and arms. On this shirt is an aquamarine gem, almost the same color as her eyes. On her left arm is a sort of sleeve that has the same colors of her shirt, along with a black spiral bracelet near her right wrist. She wears a tight and small skirt with a ribbon that ties around her left leg, also black with purple lining, exposing part of her undergarments as well. Her boots have the same colors of the rest of her outfit, the one on her right leg longer than the one on the left.

"Not bad," the woman compliments, "if it were anyone else besides me, they would have dies instantly."

Who is this woman? I swear she was struck by my Ether attack just now, and yet here she still is, totally unharmed by the blast. Could she be one of the mass-produced KOS-MOS units? No, that isn't likely, even a mass-produced model wouldn't be able to withstand an attack that powerful. She does look similar to one, but this power, this expression on her face, they're all so different, so sinister.

"Who are you?" I demand.

She raises her left hand upward, a beam of light beginning to take form beside her body. The beam quickly materializes into a large weapon, almost like a giant sword. The length of the weapon is almost the same height as her, the blade itself almost a pure white with red v-shaped carvings on it, along with runic writing near the base. The guard itself is black, forming a large hand guard on one side and a small tip on the other that points toward the end of the sword. The violet handle is also long, you can easily have four hands hold onto it.

"In order to truly be myself, I must kill you," the woman begins to speak once again. "KOS-MOS, allow me to destroy you."

My unnamed opponent begins to charge at this point, the giant edge of her sword easily slicing into the ground as she continues to only hold it with a single hand. The weight of the sword seems to have slowed her down considerably, I am easily able to see her form, but she still moves at an alarmingly fast rate. She swings the giant blade from my right, forcing myself to block as the length of the weapon would easily catch me if I were to jump back or to the side. The sheer force behind the swing is enough to force me back, knocking me flat against the ground easily. She begins to jump at me with her sword swinging about her head, leaving her body exposed. Once again I try to attack with another Ether spell, but much to my surprise, the attack disappears before it can touch her body. I shut my eyes at this point and wait for the inevitable, but much to my surprise, I only hear a loud clang and the feel of cold metal touching the side of my face. I open my eyes now to find my foe smirking down on me with a sinister look in her eyes.

"It wouldn't be fair for me to kill you without telling you my name," my enemy speaks. "I am an anti-Gnosis weapon, serial number XX-XX-XX-XX-X. Development name TP-XX, abbreviated name, T-elos. Know the name of the one destined to destroy you, KOS-MOS."

My now-named attacker begins to lift her sword up once again, my body instinctively rolling to the side at the last moment. The enormous blade creates a loud clang as it engraves itself into the metal ground, creating a large crack in the surface. My enemy has a little difficulty pulling the weapon off the floor, giving me ample time to return to my feet. She frees her weapon at this point, using the maximum length of her sword to slash at me. I manage to deflect the sword, barely catching its tip as I jump backward. I barely keep my balance after our blades meet, my back almost pushed back to the floor from the impact. I stagger backward as I deflect once again, but I manage not to fall by using my sheath as a crutch. Each of her swings are wide but surprisingly swift, yet each swing is also becoming weaker than the last. Eventually I find my back striking against a wall after jumping back so many times, giving my opponent enough time for a final attack.

"Die!" my nemesis seethes as she brings her sword down in a hammer-like fashion.

Releasing my hold on my weapon's sheath, I take my blade into both hands and swing it upward in an attempt to block once again. The impact of the blow pulls my arms toward the ground in great force, nearly knocking my entire body down with it, but my arms manage to push T-elos's blade away, engraving the sword into the flat surface behind me. Again my opponent tries to pull her weapon out, but she has little success in doing so. With her wide open to attack, I place my remaining strength in my arms and legs, leaping forward with my sword slicing the wind from the side. I may not be her match in terms of strength and speed, but because the sharpness of my sword is determined by its wielder's Ether levels, I can easily tear through her body.

With all of my strength I swing the blade at her side, the edge ready to tear at her torso and then inward. I await the sound of metal tearing through artificial flesh and wires, but much to my dismay, that is not the sound nor sight I see. Clang! My blade has suddenly stopped itself from tearing into the body of my enemy, the collision sending a large jolt into my arms and then the rest of my body. My arms immediately grow numb from the strike, causing me to drop my sword and then to my knees.

'That's impossible!' I think to myself. 'My sword should have cut her instantaneously, there's no way the edge could be dull enough to...'

"Unlike the KOS-MOS series, I've been installed with an anti-Ether field," my opponent explains. "It's the latest product in Vector's Weapons research; with this anti-Ether field installed within me, all forms of Ether will become nothing upon impact, even that sword of yours has become nothing but a slab of blunt titanium. You thought you'd have me beat just because my sword is engraved into a wall, but let me assure you, this isn't an ordinary blade."

My eyes widen the moment I turn back to the giant weapon once again, the blade suddenly beginning to stretch out into numerous shards with flexible, titanium cords connecting them. I should have realized it sooner, the entire blade was constructed out of nanomachines, and just now the blade has changed shape. The sword has transformed into a giant whip-like device!

"Allow me to destroy you," her sinister smirk returns once more.

I feel my entire body being sliced at this point, blood spilling out of nearly every pore of my body as the shards of the weapon continually slice against my skin and fabric of my dress. The cutting lasts only for three seconds, but the pain that follows is immeasurable, and I'm unable to stand after. My body begins to lean toward the floor, my arms unable to prevent me from falling due to the sudden blood loss, but instead of falling, I find my body being lifted upward, the same weapon that sliced me now wrapped around me and lifting me off the floor, hanging me as it bounds my arms together.

"You're still a child," T-elos mocks, still clutching the hilt of her weapon with her arm raised, the bottom of the blade transformed back into a sword so that I may remain hung above the ground. "Don't worry, I won't kill you yet. Be glad I didn't cut up that pretty face of yours," she taunts as she forcefully grips my jaw, "nobody likes an ugly child. No, child isn't the right word, you haven't even been weaned yet."

"...No, can't let it end like this...," I barely speak.

"What's the matter, are you going to cry now? Are you going to cry out to 'Mommy?' Go ahead and cry, no one will come."

Cry out, I can't always cry out to her, I told her that I have to learn how to solve my own problems by myself, but even so...

Shion, Miang, someone, please, help...

* * *

(Miang's POV) 

"Elly!"

I turn around to find nothing but the same endless crowds of people behind me. I take a small moment to survey the people, looking for anyone who resembles my sister. I find no one however and I turn forward once again so that I may resume my business. I could have sworn I heard Elly's voice, almost as if she were crying out to me. No, it may sound cruel, but I can't worry about that now, I have a mission to fulfill.

My superiors have given me the orders to make contact with Abel once again, though I have not been disclosed why I must do so. Just now, I have been sent into the Kukai Foundation under the guise of a soldier for Yuriev's private forces, at least so I can infiltrate the premises. Just recently I threw away my disguise so that I may pass as a civilian, though I have had to cover up the "KOS-MOS" logo on my forehead with some make-up.

For the first time since receiving this new body, I was eager to actually go on a mission for my superiors. Just the mentioning of making contact with Abel excited something inside of me, I'm not sure what it was. I actually felt happy when I was ordered to go. I don't know why I felt this way, but whatever it was made me forget about all the bad things that have been happening lately between my family and me.

'This must be the place,' I think to myself as I stand outside one of the larger buildings in the Residential District.

"Hello," I open the door to the temporary orphanage, "is anyone here?"

The living room area in which I entered from is entirely lifeless. The room itself is well-kept for the most part; not a speck of dust on any of the furniture, nor a crease in any of the curtains. A few stuffed animals and other toys lie around the floor, including one that squeaks after I accidentally step on it. There isn't any light in this room, I can assume that the children are asleep, but where are the adults in charge?

I begin to hear a noise coming from the next room now, followed by the sound of laughter. There is some incoherent dialogue coming from the next room, I can assume that it's coming from a television set. A faint glow begins to emit as from the room as I walk toward it now, painting everything in a light blue hue. I stop when I come to the opening of the next room, finding the source of the light and noise in the form of a television set. The monitor displays a crude form of animation in the form of a cat and mouse in an unrealistic fashion; the rodent runs into a hole in the wall and the cat tries to follow, only able to fit its head inside where the mouse waits with a large mallet. In a violent but strangely humorous fashion, the mouse swings the mallet into the cat's face. Cartoons, I never really understood them.

"Ha ha ha ha," I hear a child's laughter coming from the other side of the room.

I turn to where I heard the laugh, finding my target sitting on a velvet chair as he concentrates on the images portrayed in the television set. He bursts into laughter again in the next second after the cat becomes a victim of violence once again at the mouse's hands. I can't help but stare at the boy as he watches the television set so eagerly; my body begins to feel at ease as I watch him and my lips can't help but smile.

"Abel, don't sit so close to the TV," I feel like I'm beginning to remember something from long ago.

The scenery around me has changed again, just like it has when I have had these visions these past few days. In all of these visions, I saw myself and Abel, living together. It was different than how two lovers lived with one another, but I can tell the two of still loved for one another, but I'm not sure how to describe it. The boy was a lot younger than I was in these figments, his age always varying, whether it was from being only a few days old, to being four. I was always a lot older than him, I think by at least twenty years. I remember always caring for him, cooking his meals, cleaning his clothes, and other household tasks, but I was happy doing these things for him. Not only did I do these chores, I was also there to entertain him; I would sing lullabies to him, watch him in the flower fields outside the house we lived as he frolicked within them, read him stories, watch TV with him, I would do all sorts of things with him and we were both very happy.

"Abel, please listen to me for a second," I find myself telling the child in the new scenery before me.

The child appears to be four years old in the scenery I see before me, the place we are in being the house we lived in in my previous recollections of this life. This life? That's impossible, I never existed prior to be created by Mother and Father two years ago, so how can I call these images a "life?"

"Abel!" I find myself getting frustrated as he continues to ignore me.

"Yes Mommy?" the boy turns to me, as if he hadn't heard my last calls.

I find my anger quickly residing as I see the innocent look on his face, my smile slowly returning now that I have his attention.

"Come sit with me over here," I tell the child, taking a seat on the sofa a few feet away from the television set.

"Okay, Mommy!" the child hurriedly gets off the floor and jumps onto my lap.

I wrap my arms around the boy, holding him close to my body so that my cheek may nestle with his hair. The two of us continue to watch the colorful antics between two humanoid animals, the cartoon violence they impart on one another as they quickly recover as if nothing happened.

Abel, my Abel, I won't let anyone take us apart my son.

'Take us apart?' I find myself in the orphanage once again. 'Son?'

The boy sitting on the couch recognizes me now, quickly jumping out of his chair and running toward me with glee.

"Elly, Elly, Elly!" the boy addresses me by my sister's name. "You've come back! Wait a minute," the boy's happiness begins to disappear, "you're not Elly."

"Sorry," I apologize to the boy, kneeling down so that I may equal to his height, "I'm her older sister, Miang."

"Oh...," the child begins to look at the floor, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Don't worry about Elly," I try to assure him, placing my hand on his shoulder, "she's okay, she's just gone on a small trip, she'll be back soon."

"Really?" Abel begins to smile.

"Yes," I nod, my lips curling like his.

"I missed Elly ever since she left and I got worried," the boy explains.

"Me too," I admit. "So how old are you, Abel?" I find myself changing the conversation, despite knowing the actual information.

"Eight," he answers.

"Eight? Wow, you'll be ten in two more years, won't you?" I tell the boy, my smile only widening as I speak to him.

"Uh huh," he happily nods.

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?" I continue with the conversation, despite the fact that it isn't actually going anywhere.

'Why am I doing this?' I think to myself. 'These questions I've been asking, they have no real significance to my superiors' goals whatsoever, and yet, here I am, asking such meaningless things like a small child? Regardless, part of me feels as if these questions aren't meaningless at all, and that I actually want to know these things. It's as if...'

"I don't know what I want to do when I grow up," Abel admits, his foot twisting into the floor, "but my mom always said that I can make that choice whenever I wanted."

"Really? That's nice," I tell the boy. "And where is your mom?"

"...she's dead," the child grows silent, my entire body suddenly growing frozen from his words. "I was four when...," his voice begins to break as water begins to escape his eyes.

The smell of burning flora and fauna begins to enter my nose, and in the background, the sound of gunfire. My legs feel as if they are running, but they also feel as if they will break at any given moment. I feel several bursts of wind blowing from behind me, with tiny iron projectiles appear in front of me and moving away after some of the gusts catch up. The living room has disappeared before my eyes, replaced with the scenery of a burning flower meadow and red sky.

I turn to my chest where I hold a young child, my arms holding him tight as I run through the burning fields with him. I look back to find several men in violet uniforms and face masks running after us, each of them armed with rifles. They continue to fire at us, their shots becoming more accurate after each blast. My body cannot run much longer, but despite its wishes to rest, I continue to push myself more. I can't let anything happen to my child, no matter what!

Despite my will to escape, my body can run no more. A sharp pain enters the back of my leg, the force soon escaping through the front. The force of the jolt makes me fall to the ground at this point, my leg unable to move. I look at the child in my arms, he is still unharmed, but his face is wet with many tears and his arms still wrapping around me tightly. I want to save this boy, but my body will not allow me to go any further. He must escape no matter what, I only wish I could have helped him escape further. I don't want to leave him alone, but...

"Abel, run!" I force myself to give him such an order.

"But Mother...!" the child protests.

"Live, Abel, live!" I begin to recall words that were spoken long ago. "No matter what happens, you must live! I... I'll find you. Mommy will find you again one day, but for now, run! Run away!"

Live... The boy did live, otherwise he would not be here now; he had done what I asked. Wait, what was that just now; I saw it before when Elly and I were fighting in sectors twenty-six and twenty-seven of the Kukai Foundation. He fulfilled "what I asked," how could he do such a thing when I wasn't in existence back then? This vision, why is it that I find myself full of sadness and regret whenever I see it? It isn't just an illusion though, I know that this memory also belongs to Abel, but why do I feel this way?

"I'm sorry," I apologize to the boy, quickly wrapping my arms around him so that I may console him. "I didn't know that..."

"...it's okay," Abel tries to assure me, "because I know that she's come back to me now," he says in a joyful manner.

"Come back?"

"I knew it when I first saw you," I hear his voice inside my head now. "I knew that you returned, Mother."

"Mother?" the word brings back a sense of nostalgia.

"But why are there two of you now?" he asks, his lips unmoving, but his voice continues to speak. "Elly and Miang, how can both of you be Mother?"

"I don't... understand," I begin to release the child.

"Anyway, do you want to watch TV?" Abel releases me at this point. "Miss Yui said it was okay for tonight as long as I go to bed by ten."

"I guess I don't mind, but..."

"Okay, then come on!" he takes my hand, beginning to drag me back to the velvet chair.

'...but what is it you mean by "how can both of you be Mother?"'

Abel allows me to sit on the chair first, though I am a bit hesitant to sit because there won't be any space for the child to do so if I take the space. I end up taking the chair and filling out the seat, but the child hops onto my lap after, making it a seat for himself. His hair tickles my nose as makes himself comfortable, and I'm barely able to see the television set itself with his head in the way. I don't particularly mind though, as long as he's comfortable.

We begin to watch the animated show on the television set, though I still do not understand the comedic value of the violence going on throughout the program. Every time the cat is injured by the mouse in some way, Abel ends up throwing a fit of laughter. I don't understand, but with every new injury, I find myself beginning to smile and giggle. I think the more I watch this program, the more I forgot what the true reality of the actions that occurred onscreen would be. Mindless fun, I guess this is what people calls this sort of entertainment. I know if I were to watch it myself I wouldn't find any entertainment value in it, but when I watch with Abel...

"Sad eyes," the boy suddenly speaks during the commercial break.

"What?" his words catch my attention.

"Miang has sad eyes," Abel repeats himself.

"Sad eyes, what do you mean, Abel?"

"Elly's eyes are like a river, flowing and free, but Miang's eyes are like a lake, silent and calm. Why are your eyes like the lake?" Abel looks up and into my eyes now. "Why are they deep and unmoving unless you're with me?"

The boys words pierce me like daggers at this point, to think that a child like this would say such things. It's not that I'm insulted by his comments, but I'm shocked by the depth of his words and the truth behind them. Elly's eyes are like a river, and mine a lake... I never really thought of such...

The sound of something crashing into the floor suddenly echoes from the kitchen, immediately catching my attention. I turn to the direction of the kitchen, my sensors picking up a single life-form, the size and mass indicating that it isn't a child that may have accidentally dropped something. The way this figure is also moving about isn't something becoming of someone who works here either; it appears that they are struggling with the now broken object that's now on the floor. Could it be a robber or another hostile individual?

"Abel, wait here," I order the child.

"Miang...? What's...?"

"Don't make a sound," I tell the boy.

I hurry to the wall nearest to the kitchen entrance, placing my body flat against it. I can hear the individual within speaking with themselves, saying things like " that was stupid of me" and "I have to get rid of this before anyone finds out." I'm not sure who this individual is, but it is imperative that I stop them before they get rid of the evidence. I draw my sword at this point, my hand creeping against the wall behind me, its fingers looking for the light switch for the kitchen. The moment I find it, I quickly flip the switch, jumping out of the corner at the same time with my blade swinging inward so that I may attack this intruder.

"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" the individual screams, but my weapon stops the moment I realize who it is.

"Miss Itsumi, what are you doing?" I ask, putting my weapon away.

"Huh, Miss Hawwa, is that you?" Miyuki stops screaming at this point.

"Sorry, I thought you were a robber or something," I explain. "But what's with this equipment?" I turn to the broken machinery on the floor, "it doesn't look like anything Vector manufactured."

The piece of machinery that's now broken on the floor, it looks similar to the portable UMN devices Vector creates, but the circuitry and wires are not those found in Vector. There's no company label located on the exterior part of the device either where it's normally located. I do recognize a few parts however, a few microchips that are used for communication devices, but these chips are obsolete in today's standards. The others I recognize are parts found in the E.S. Dinah, parts that allow the user to communicate to others without using the UMN. Only one organization comes to mind after looking at these parts, it's none other than...

"I see, so you're the spy, Miyuki Itsumi," my voice begins to grow cold at this point.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about!" she tries to deny the accusation.

"When I was confronted on Old Miltia, they said they already knew the specifications for the KOS-MOS Project," I explain. "They mentioned spies, and who else fits the description of spy better than you, Miss Itsumi. I thought it was rather odd that you were still at the Vector Second R & D Division office on Second Miltia when all the other employees were home when we freed Elly. Then there was the development of the F-SCYTHE which you created for my sister, which was created behind the backs of my superiors and the company. Not just the F-SCYTHE, but my mother's M.W.S. as well. The M.W.S. may be claimed to be a Vector Industries prototype, but I'm sure the real thing exists within your organization of Scientia."

"Please, Miss Hawwa, please don't kill me," Miyuki begins to beg now. "I still need this job, I...!"

"Need to continue spying, is that it!" I glare. "Do you understand how much trouble you've caused for Vector! I'm not going to kill you, but I...!"

Before I can say another word, a loud crash is heard from the living room area. Scientia reinforcements already? No, it can't be, I'm only picking up one reading of a lifeform.

"Miang!" I hear Abel's screaming next.

"Abel!" I forget about Miyuki at this point and hurry to the living room area.

I return to the entrance of the orphanage at this point, finding the entire living room a wreck. Not only is all the furniture either cut apart or destroyed, a giant hole in the entrance has been made as well. The level of damage wasn't created by any sort of explosion though, it looks like everything here was cut by some sort of blade.

"Damn machines, they take too long to do whatever they're assigned," the voice of someone I share a large hatred for speaks.

I turn to my right now to find Abel being held captive, an arm wrapped tightly around his neck, almost choking him. Abel tries to fight back, kicking and screaming as his fists pound backwards against a large leather skirt. A black gloved hand reaches for the cross on its owner's outfit, taking it in hand, revealing it to be a dagger, and pointing it into the throat of the child in an attempt to shut him up. Abel grows silent after seeing the tip of the blade, its owner giving a simple smirk after silencing him. She returns the knife to its resting place at this point, her hand now brushing against her pale white hair, her moss-green eyes glaring at me once more.

"Orgulla..."

* * *

XenoMark's Note: Guess we got another cliffhanger here. Not sure what to really say at the moment except that it's clear that this fic is taking a very different direction than the third Xenosaga game (especially after seeing the portrayals of Citrine and Albedo in this chapter). It's also regrettable that Elly's been getting her ass kicked a lot lately, but we'll turn her back into the badass her video game incarnation was later in the fic (to a degree). Well we hope you all enjoyed this chapter, hope you'll all be looking forward to the next. We of Team KOS-MOS appreciate reviews, but please don't give us flames. Guess we'll see you in the next chapter. Later! 


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